


Of Buying Cheese And Finding Purpose

by T2Boy2



Category: Frozen (Disney Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, F/F, F/M, Iced Honey, M/M, another crazy idea, drunken elsa, elsamaren, had to write myself free, new idea
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-29
Updated: 2021-02-16
Packaged: 2021-03-03 01:14:36
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 17
Words: 65,520
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24446416
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/T2Boy2/pseuds/T2Boy2
Summary: Elsa does her sister a solid and goes on a long road trip to buy some cheese. Little does she know how what waits for her along the way!
Relationships: Anna/Kristoff (Disney), Elsa & Honeymaren (Disney), Elsa/Honeymaren (Disney), Ryder Nattura/Original Character(s)
Comments: 247
Kudos: 139





	1. The Long Drive

**Author's Note:**

> Ok, guys, I had serious writer's block, but then I thought 'try to write something different' and what can I say it worked!  
> I finished this and I am on a good way with the next part of the 'home'- series.  
> So, I will write on this one whenever I need a break from my other work.  
> Have fun with it and take care!

Never would have Elsa Arendelle thought that buying some cheese for her, suddenly very Northuldra obsessed mother would change her life so profoundly. Well, buying cheese and doing her little sister a favor. Damn those puppy eyes and these pouting lip, that made a full-grown woman look like a six-year-old girl again, tugging at Elsa’s heartstrings, so Anna could ask anything of her, knowing she would get whatever she wanted.

She hated it when she used that dirty trick on her, and she hated it that it always, ALWAYS worked, no matter how much she tried to harden herself against its effects! But if she was true to herself, Elsa did not mind the excuse to escape her job for a few days. She loved being an architect, she really did! It was the perfect combination of her love for math and art but being the granddaughter of the founder and CEO ‘Arendelle’, the go-to place if anyone who wanted to build something in….Arendelle. Gods, she even hated the name nowadays!! What was her grandfather thinking? What had possessed him that made him believe that calling his business after himself and the land he lived in was a good idea??!! Had he no clue how stupid it sounded when Elsa had to introduce herself to potential clients?

_‘Hello I am Elsa Arendelle, of Arednelle. It is an honor that you decided to do business with…you guessed it - Arendelle!’_

She still could hear the old man, still see his pricing eyes on her as he spoke to her, that one time she had been foolish enough to say something.

_‘Your lack of pride in your name is a disgrace. If things were different we would be royalty! Never forget that and try at least to not dishonor our name further!’_

At that moment as he lectured her in this annoying, sagely way, she had hated him, hated him for his hurtful words, and all the other demeaning speeches that came before. It was such a strong feeling that she nearly had lashed out, stood up to him for the first time in her life but her well-trained urge to behave, to be a good girl had overpowered, this sudden spark of rebellion, snuffed it before it could do much more than making her feel ashamed of herself.

No wonder she struggled with new ideas for weeks now Elsa let out a long frustrated sigh, one finding her braid, playing with it like she always did when something was troubling her. Coming to the conclusion that she would not find the solution for her problem right now, she pushed them aside for now.

She was, after all on the longest road trip in the history of mankind so she could buy cheese for their mother’s birthday gift…no scratch that, Anna’s birthday gift for their mother! Elsa, of course, had already a perfectly fine gift that had not required a six-hour drive through the wilderness.

 _‘I should enjoy myself while I am at it!’_ she thought, rolling her eyes at herself. Sometimes Elsa could not believe her sister and her wild ideas. Granted it was very fancy cheese, handmade with wild grown herbs and nuts, sounding absolutely delicious the more she thought about it, making her stomach growl but still just cheese!!

And of course, Anna had to have this ‘amazing idea just in time of Elsa's free weekend and had to set her mind on the only store in the whole world that did not deliver to your doorstep. She sighed angrily; mad at some imaginary, insufficient store owner who…did not deserve her crap for not having a postal system that could compare with the one in Arendelle. Not even when she only was thinking it, it was not their fault that they worked in Northuldra. That she could cross the border to Northuldra still baffled her. It had been shut off from the world for 34 years by its ruling party, called ‘Dam’. When she was younger and had heard the name in school she had found it incredibly silly, laughing with Anna about it when she was home. Their mother had found them giggling madly while playing a silly game and the pained look in her eyes was enough to make sure that she never laughed about the name again. She did not need to hear the terrible stories she had told them, of what the people had to endure their every day while they could live in peace and freedom in Arendelle, only a few miles further south.

Nearly one year ago the people had risen against their leaders, millions acting as one, and the suppressors could count themselves lucky, that the Northuldran people only sought freedom and peace as they stormed government buildings and police stations everywhere, and not revenge. Elsa still remembered the trials that were broadcasted in Arendelle, and how impressed she was that the Northuldra were so merciful in victory as no death penalty was imposed.

 _‘Weaklings! No wonder they were oppressed for so long!_ ’ her grandfather had said, and Elsa felt again something close to hate for this stubborn old man that she was unlucky enough to have in her family. Her hands gripped the wheel tightly, her knuckles turning white and she had to take a deep breath to calm herself. At least the view was breathtaking; the woods on the side of the small road were beautiful, beckoning Elsa to stop her car and take a stroll, wandering on and on, leaving these crushing responsibilities her grandfather burdened her with behind…..

_‘Yeah like this could ever happen.’_

Elsa thought bitterly like she could leave Anna behind like that. She sighed deeply; pushing these complicated feelings down, now was not the time. She had to be a good sister, a good daughter; there was no time for an existential crisis right now, she had to get this stupid cheese, drive home, deliver it to Anna, and then maybe she could spend the Sunday in bed not moving a muscle before she had to face the new week.

And a short look on her GPS told her that she only had two hours to go…

_‘Yippie.’_

As she finally arrived at her destination she sat for a moment in her car, the only one on the neat parking lot, and looked at the not so small shop…. more like a manufactory really. Everything was neat and clean, clearly build with a great eye for detail and outstanding craftsmanship.

She wrote a quick text to Anna that she had arrived before stepping outside, letting the door of her car snap shut, without taking her eyes of the charming building, feeling ……weird, but happy to be here?

_‘Funny’_

Shaking her head lightly she strolled over to the door that looked like it was for customers and sure enough, as she entered she found herself in tasteful decorated salesroom, spotless and even for Elsa's high standards, perfectly organized. A young woman, around her age, greeted her; a friendly smile on her full lips, her green eyes had a cheeky spark in them as she spoke.

“Welcome, how can I help….”

She stopped, suddenly all friendliness had gone, her face like a mask of pure astonishment, her mouth slightly open as she started for a whole ten seconds, not moving a muscle, then-

“Mother!! Mother, she is here!!” the young woman bellowed, opening a little door behind the counter, rushing through it and before Elsa could do much more then blink, and wonder if costumers were such a rare occurrence that such a reaction was justified as she returned with an old woman on her heels, her long white flowing behind her, her face strict but she could see that around her eyes many wrinkles appeared as she smiled at Elsa like she was her long lost daughter or something. Where there tears in her eyes?!

“Elsa.” she said, sounding like she had a bad cold and Elsa’s head started spinning as a total stranger, who knew her name, was hugging her so tightly that she could barely breathe.

**_‘And she knows my NAME!!!’_ **

A few moments later she found herself sitting in homily kitchen, holding a steaming cup of coffee in her hands, which Iloh, the young woman that had greeted her in the shop, placed in front of her, a sympathetic smile on her face, her mesmerizing green eyes sparkling even in the dim light kitchen. The hot beverage burning away some of the shock, helping her to brace the whirlwind in her head, as she tried to, listen to Yelena, the older woman that Iloh had gathered in a hurry, calling her mother even though she doubted she had ever seen two women who looked less alike.

_‘Maybe Iloh is adopted? NO! Concentrate! Listen to these strangers that totally change your life right now! I just wanted to buy cheese!!! **I am going crazy here!?!?!** ’_

She took a deep breath again, pushing her spiraling thoughts aside! Now was not the time to freak out!

“Ok, bear with me and walk me through that again if you don’t mind…..so my mother was…is a …”

“Yes child, she was born here in Northuldra, she is one of us and by extension so are you and your sister.”

“How do you know about us?”

“Some of our people could flee before Dam started operation Mist and closed the borders so there are a lot like you! Many children who grew up spirits knows where with no clue of their heritage not to mention the fortunes of their families had to leave behind as they fled. We want to return it to them so we have collected information, hired detectives and lawyers to reach them. We have files of all of them including you.”

“Why did you never reached out?”

“To be honest you and your sister were not high on our priority list. You grew up well, with loving parents and there is no property for you left to inherit, but there are many young children, some only infants who were taken from their parents or are the sole survivor of their family line, given away to spirits knows where and to get them back is the more pressing matter right now.”

“Why did mother never told us about any of this?”

As she spoke she knew the answer. Both her father and her grandfather were men of Arendelle through and through, very traditional to the point of closemindedness and even though her father was sweet and kind-hearted, she was not sure how he would have reacted to mother being a Northuldra-refugee.

And her grandfather…well, _‘keeping to ones flock’_ was the nicest thing she had heard him ever say about mixed couples. He was ‘traditional’ in the worst kind of way!

“I can’t speak for Iduna but my guess is that she stayed quiet for safety reasons. Dam was very dangerous. Jellet Uthale, your grandfather, spoke very openly against them and instead of targeting him, they went for his family. He tried to bring the youngest of his kin to safety and….well, he succeeded in his task with Iduna….”

A sharp sting shoot through Elsa, a dark thought reaching her.

“Only her?”

Yelena did not need to speak for, the sadness in her eyes telling Elsa all she needed to know.

“I am so sorry child…. Dam was very…thoroughly. I am afraid you three are all that is left of the Uthale line.”

It was the weirdest feeling - she did not know anything of these people, and even though there were blood-related they were strangers to her, yet she felt robbed of the opportunity to meet them and…..incredible sad that there were forced to fight like this….die like this, only to be free. It was all so unfair; so much to take in that it surprised her little as one or two tears escaped her eyes. She reached for her jacket to get something for her running nose but Iloh was faster, reaching behind her, opening a drawer and grabbing a big box of tissues, placing them with a wink and a kind smile in front of Elsa before refilling her cup with more coffee.

“Thank you,” Elsa said quietly, whipping her eyes and offering Iloh a thankful half-smile as she holds on to her warm mug like a lifeline. The young woman made a small hand gesture, that probably could be translated as ‘Don’t sweat it’ and besides everything Elsa laughed lightly, earning a big smile from both women.

“Look Elsa, I know this is a lot to take in. Why don’t you drive home, talk to your mother, your sister and let this entire…mess sink in. In private if you want to hear my advice, there must be a reason why your mother had not talked to you sooner after all. Here.”

Yelena opened another drawer behind her, pulled out a pen and some paper, swiftly writing something down.

“My number. Call me if you need anything. Give it to your mother and sister as well. Whatever it is, we will try our best to help you!”

The determent look on the old woman’s face left no doubt in Elsa’s mind that she spoke the truth, making her feel… safe?

_‘Sure why not? The goal for today: feel safe with total strangers? Check.’_

But Elsa only smiled and nodded, honest gratitude flowing through her, despite her sardonic thoughts. Yelena and Iloh brought her to her car, but not before Iloh had equipped her with so much cheese she could carry, a cheeky smile on her face as she helped her to store everything in her trunk.

“Our cheese makes everything better! Believe me, you and your family need a pick me up after you are done talking.” she had said, winking again and Elsa decided she liked this one, her friendly sassiness reminding her of Anna.

“Drive safe, child. And call if you…” suddenly her eyes grew big, looking at something behind her and before Elsa could turn around, Iloh grabbed her, pulling her to the side, just in time before the deafening sound of metal hitting metal exploded around them, and something heavy made the air move behind her. As she turned she found her car a few meters from its original parking place, a true monster of a car pushed it there. While Elsa still stood there dumfounded at hat had just occurred, Yelena already rushed to the car, ripping the door open, helping the driver with the airbag, asking urgently: “Ryder, are you alright?” as workers from inside the manufactory came running to see if they could help.

“Yeah, I am fine! Don’t worry about me.”

Deftly a tall, very athletic, young man with black hair and piercing blue eyes, jumped out of the car, looking indeed very alright, yet his face looked like a painful grimace and as she followed his gaze she mirrored his expression! Her car was looking less than fine.

_‘Next time I get a car like this!’_

Elsa thought as she sat next to Ryder, the guy who just crushed hers on an empty parking lot, rendering it useless for its intended purpose, while his car remained nearly unharmed. It was a real boneshaker, but with personality and the sturdiness of a mountainside apparently, still strong enough to pull her car to wherever he took her.

The poor guy had stumbled over himself to apologize, while Yelena gave him a stern lecture and the onlookers consisting of Iloh and the workers of the manufactory, bite their lips, all really trying not to laugh.

“You have to look when you drive you fool! Now bring her to your sister!”

Ryder had jumped at the idea, happy to have a solution for the mess he made.

“Yes, perfect! Don’t worry Elsa, Honeymaren can fix everything and she has room so you can stay the night!”

She was not really surprised anymore that he knew her name at this point, just happy that her laptop had survived the crash, and she had reception so she could call Anna, who promised to take care of the rest.

_‘Thank the gods for that girl!’_

She had not told her sister what she had discovered about their heritage, sensing that a talk from eye to eye would be best for this subject matter. With the request to meet up as soon as she could make it back to Arendelle and to bring mother along Elsa had hung up, the worry in her sister’s voice eminent but she did not press further, trusting her blindly and Elsa felt her heart swell.

She did not deserve her!

They drove in pleasant conversation, Ryder pointing out some landmarks, telling her all he knew the land of his ancestors. Their ancestors, her ancestors!

_‘I can’t believe this…’_

Her head started spinning again and to think about something else she let her eyes roam around the car that was filled with folders, for Ryder was one of the lawyers Yelena had spoken of. The folders came in all shapes and sizes, some red, some brown. It was hard to believe that this innocent looking guy could hold his own in a courtroom, but never judge a book by its cover. Anna looked sweet as a marshmallow and her right hook was vicious, even when she was a kid!

“Can I?” she asked, more to distract herself further, then being actually interested in its content, and as Ryder nodded she randomly grabbed one of the red ones and opened it. Inside was a full-body picture of a girl, with jet black hair, dark skin, and a face covered in adorable freckles while beautiful light brown eyes reminded Elsa of ambers gleaming in the sun. The picture was followed by a short personal description, age, birthplace, and so on, and some names scribbled on a piece of paper, all crossed out so Elsa could not read them, followed by a list of neighboring countries with question marks behind them.

“Ah, picked the best one,” Ryder said, his voice suddenly gloomy, sadness and wild determination gleaming in his eyes.

“Gelwa Gattar. They got her shortly before we crushed Dam. Killed the whole family, except her great-grandfather. He is very sick and they left him…left him lying among them as a cruel joke and a warning to us. Took the girl and sold her to spirits knows were…..but we will find her and bring her home!”

Elsa felt pity for the poor girl and her great-grandfather but the way Ryder spoke told her that he would try everything in his power to make his words come true, and suddenly she could see him in a courtroom, fiercely fighting for what he believed was right and respect joined to the feeling of sympathy she held for the young man, besides the fact that he played a very one-sided game of chicken with her car. Suddenly his face lost its stern touch, as he smiled again, his eyes glancing somewhat sheepish between her and the road.

“I was reading that file while driving. That’s why I….you know…crashed into your car….” he trailed off, on hand leaving the wheel to rub his neck, the tips of his ears turning pink in embarrassment. Elsa couldn’t help the laughter that bubbled in her chest, finding him utterly adorable.

“Well, if your sister can, like you said, repair everything then I might forgive you for your carelessness.” she jested, smiling though, already not mad anymore.

“Don’t you worry! Honeymaren can build anything, fix anything and pretty do anything else in between as well!”

 _‘Ok, I like this guy too!’_ Elsa thought, turning to look at him, smiling at his deep conviction.

“Ah, here we are,” Ryder said, honking to make their arrival known to his sister and as Elsa looked, her eyes grew wide.

Only mere seconds ago there had only been the small road and the deep woods surrounding them, and now she found herself in the middle of the most beautiful yard she had ever seen. Not big and boastful like the one of her grandfather’s mansion, but smaller, yet well kept, a medium-sized workshop on the left, a chicken coop gracing its right side, it inhabitance peacefully picking for grains, not caring about Elsa’s and Ryder’s arrival. In the middle was a small house, build out of wood and stone, simple yet beautifully framed with the woods around it.

Ryder had not even stopped the car as Elsa jumped out, ignoring Ryder who called after her, her architect heart nearly danced with joy, inspiration hitting her like a train, ideas flooding her mind and she really wished she had pen and paper to hand! And then she was attacked, so swiftly that she had not even time to scream as something huge reached her, dark and strong in its onslaught, and she went down.


	2. When Inspiration Hits You

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Elsa meets Honeymaren and the fun begins!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi and welcome back!  
> No writer's block this time, only the joy of continuing this story. It is kinda nice to switch...  
> Maybe I always do it like this: one chapter for LLTU and then on for 'cheese'...we will see!  
> Have fun with it!

For a moment all Elsa’s world only consists, of soft blackness and something very wet and disgustingly slimy that touched her face, yet all Elsa could think of was the fact that she needed a pen and paper before the streak inspiration left her again!

**NOW!**

From somewhere far away she could hear someone yelling at her attacker. Or was right next to her? Elsa’s brain refused to care, just one thing on her mind – ‘I need to draw!’ How long was it since she had felt that way? Oh, it was the best!

“Vakker!! Let her go you big oaf!” someone, a female when the voice was any indication, yelled again, and the big, black, furry attacker was pushed of Elsa, and someone, probably the same someone, hauled her up.

It barely crossed her mind that this someone must be quite strong, for Elsa nearly flew to her feet.

“I am so sorry! She just likes to meet new people and….”

“Pen, Paper! I need….”

Vaguely Elsa realized that she must act and look like a complete lunatic, as she frantically looked around for anything to draw with, hair wild, her face still smeared with….? What had she on her face anyway?

Then she saw it, a huge, bulking nearly black reindeer, barely registering the woman around her age that held the big animal back, who was obviously trying to get to her again, revealing to be her attacker, and the absurdity of being ‘greeted’ by a huge black monster of a reindeer in a way that was mostly reserved for exited dogs, was pretty much the only thing that could make her pause.

Her inspiration crazed mind taking a second to take in what she was seeing. She looked at the animal, the animal looked back at her, stopping its struggle with the woman for a moment.

Elsa blinked once, twice, tilted her head a little and….was the reindeer mirroring her movement?

 _‘My face is covered in reindeer slobber…..’_ she concluded.

Another moment, blinking once, twice again…..

_‘That makes……perfect sense! With a day like this, it might as well be a unicorn in disguise. And…..of course! Elsa you idiot’_

Her little pause had given her mind the opportunity to find the easiest conclusion to her problem, making her turn on her heels, facing Ryder. By the way, the poor guy shrunk into himself, Elsa knew she must look menacing, but now was not the time to care about that!

“Ryder, keys!”

She commanded, and the young man looked at her like a very terrified question mark. Elsa pointed at the car.

“Keys!”

It took only a few seconds, as understanding dawned on Ryder's face and he fumbled in his pocket for his car keys but for Elsa it felt like years, as she finally opened the door of the passenger's seat, grabbed her handbag and …..finally had her drawing pad and pen in her hands and as the moment she began to draw, all around her vanished, stepping into the background.

Nothing mattered, not the cramped position she had to sit in, not the rumbling of her stomach, not her dry throat. Nothing expect to bring out this something that pushed so desperately against the insides of her eyes, wanting to be free, to be seen!

Elsa did not know how much time had passed, nor did she care, as knuckles hit the car window on her side in quick succession, making her jolt as she broke out of her trance, looking up to meet Ryder’s eyes and witnessing the most earsplitting grin she had ever seen on anyone.

_‘Well, Anna comes close second but still…’_

“Hey there Da Vinci, finished drawing your Mona Lisa?” he jested, but there was no intention to hurt in his voice, his still friendly as ever.

So Elsa smiled back sheepishly, held her drawing pad close to her chest, nodding before realizing that the sun had nearly set and her car was gone. Sounds of someone roaming around in the workshop indicated that Ryder’s sister was already at work.

_‘Damn, how long have I sit in here?’_

“How long…?”

Elsa started but she didn’t need to finish her question, Ryder’s grin grew even wider as he spoke.

“Six hours! But I need the car back now. I still have to drive home and duty is calling me early tomorrow.”

“Oh Ryder, I am so sorry…. I don’t know what has come over me…I didn’t even say properly hello to your sister….I am such an idiot!”

_‘Worse! I am an idiot with poor manners!’_

Ryder's smile grew soft as he made a dismissive gesture with his hand.

“Don’t worry about it. But do you mind if I could take a look…?”

He looked so curious and hopeful that Elsa could do little much more than hand him her sketch, even though she did not like showing people her first drafts. “Wow.” was all he had to offer.

“Wow? Wow like In ‘Wow, you spend six hours on that crap’ or ‘wow, it’s kind of ok….”

Elsa could not help it, her old friend anxiety rising in her chest

“Are you kidding?! Wow like in ‘Wow, how can any human draw like this?’ Elsa this is amazing!!! You have to show this to Maren. She loves this kind of stuff.”

“Really? She is not…is she mad at me?”

“Mad? Why would she be mad at you?”

_‘Well, let me think…..ah, yes – I completely ignored her while screaming for pen and paper and sat for hours in the car of her brother, while she took care of my destroyed car, she is going to repair for free, on top of her normal work. Not to mention that she is hosting me as her guest while she is doing all that. Go me!’_

“The way I acted earlier was really not the nicest way to greet someone who offered to help me.”

“Nah, my sister does not operate that way. Just show her your picture and you two will be nerding around in no time. And when I find someone who can spare their car or has a second one I am calling you. Cross my heart and all that. But we are in Northuldra after all and it is most likely that Maren builds you a working space ship out of pinecones before that happens. See you soon, Elsa.”

And with one last laugh and a hug Elsa surprisingly did not mind at all, he drove off, his mountain of a car rumpling as it vanished out of side behind the next curve of the road, leaving only the tranquility of the evening behind.

Some swallows were hunting close by, flying low in their attempts to catch as many insects out of the air as possible before night fell and bats took over their hunting grounds. With their high screams, the evening breeze flowing through the leaves of the tree and something that sounded like the rushing of a river it made for the most mesmerizing symphony of peace Elsa had ever heard and even though she just had a life-changing experience and was staying for an unknown amount of time with a total stranger she had not felt so relaxed since…..the first time in forever really.

Even the metallic clanking sounds that came from the workshop did not stand out like a sore thumb, but fitted in nicely into the whole picture, even though there reminded Elsa that she had yet hat to face the owner of this little paradise on earth.

_‘Ok, just don’t yell at her again and act like a total maniac and you should be fine.’_

Elsa gave herself a little push, crossed the yard, and entered the workshop to finally met Ryder's sister properly.

She was greeted with Honeymaren’s backside; her long, dark-brown hair was woven into a single braid, that swung slightly from left to right as she bend over to look under the hood of her car, humming slightly as she worked.

_‘Here goes nothing!’_

Elsa raised a fist to her mouth, clearing her throat, partly to announce her arrival before she spoke but also because she just sat six hours in a hot car, sketching her heart out without a single drop of water.

But before she could say something at all, Honeymaren turned around; wiping her hands clean on some cloth she had pulled out of her simple jeans, giving Elsa full view of the rest of her features.

She was smaller than Elsa, but not by much, and had the same nose and tanned skin tone as her brother.

She looked fit, athletic even and Elsa remembered the strength as she pulled her up to her feet after the reindeers attack-greeting. Normally Elsa was no fan of bangs, but they looked great on her. She had full lips and the most mesmerizing eyes she had ever seen, even though she had seen her fair share of extraordinary beautiful eyes today. Forget Iloh’s striking green or Ryder’s sky blue or even Gelwa’s light brown embers, these pools of dark, molten honey were to die for!

_‘Ah yes Elsa, good that you enjoy your totally heterosexual thoughts about this woman, but how about you stop quacking at her and say something!!!!Now!!’_

“Ah, hello…ahm I think I kind of forget to introduce myself properly back there…. or thank you for taking me in….and fix my car…or anything else a normal human would do in this situation, really. So, I am Elsa Arendelle, thank you for taking me in, and thank you for fixing my car!”

_‘You are rambling!! Why oh, why, do you ramble now!!??’_

But Honeymaren only smiled, just as kindly as her brother, raising both hands in a reassuring gesture, before simply stating: “I get it. When inspiration hits you, you have to roll with the punches.”

It sounded like she really meant what she said, and Elsa felt relief flowing through her, thankful that her weird behavior was forgiven.

“Thank you!”

“No problem. I am Honeymaren Nattura by the way, but you probably knew that already. But call me Maren if you want. All my friends do, Honeymaren can be kind of a mouth full.”

“Thanks, Maren it is then. And yeah your brother told me all about you.”

“Oh, I hope only good stuff?”

“Actually yes. He speaks very highly of you.”

“Pffft, what a softy!” she jested while turning to close the hood of her car but Elsa could tell by the way her eyes turned all soft that she did not mean it.

“Speaking of my brother, he did not totally destroy your car but he did quite a number on it nonetheless. I spare you the details but I have to get some spare parts. I have called my go-to person for that. Fara can get you everything but this is still Northuldra were talking about and it will take some time until there get here and yada,yada….in short – I need two weeks to fix what my dear brother has broken....mmmh much less time than usual. He is getting more circumspect.”

That made Elsa laugh, the news that she was stuck here for at least a few days, not bothering as much as it probably should. Not after inspiration hit her with a sledgehammer like it had not done in months.

“Seriously though, I am really sorry! You probably had other plans, I am sure, and you have to work too at some point and with being stuck here for a few days must be a hassle…..”

Maren trailed off, rubbing the back of her neck, looking guilty in the most adorable way.

_‘Yep, totally heterosexual thoughts right there!’_

Out loud she chose less revealing words: “Don’t worry about it! My laptop and my pencils survived so I can work no matter where I am. And the rest…well….I still have to figure that out.”

Suddenly she felt very tired, all the crazy events of the day sinking in, making her limbs feel heavy and suddenly her biggest wish was a shower, a sandwich and a warm bed!

“Ah, that is my cue! What is better, after you had a life-changing experience and a not so enjoyable conversation with your mother, sister, and the rest of the family looming in your future, than a shower, dinner and sleep?” the smaller woman smiled.

_‘Can she read minds now? I really like this one!’_

“Works well for me.”

Honeymaren made an elegant hand gesture, like she was Elsa’s personal butler, bowing her head a little.

“Then please follow m….OH NO YOU DON’T!!”

Maren’s sudden yell made Elsa jump, all playfulness was gone from the other, looking all strict, her finger held up high in a scolding way, her eyes focused on something behind her.

As Elsa turned around she found the enormous, black reindeer had returned, obviously trying to sneak up on Elsa again to continue the one-sided cuddle session. Now caught in the act like that she let her head hang low, and almost pleading expression in her eyes, grunting unhappily as the big animal hit the ground with one hove – a weird mix of a stubborn child that stumped its food down when it did not get its way and the pleading gesture Anna’s cat Olaf made when he wanted a piece of her ice-cream cake.

Elsa’s heart melted immediately.

“Awwww, look at you! Aren’t you the cutest.” she cooed, stepping closer.

“Be a good girl now, Vakker! No pushing anyone on the ground.”

Maren reminded the big animal, and under the stern gaze of her owner the burly beast put on her best behavior, a deep rumble of satisfaction in her chest as Elsa patted her neck and the soft fur under her chin.

“So you are Vakker? Aww, you are adorable!”

Maren stepped to Vakker’s other side, patting her back.

“I wouldn’t go that far,” she said dryly and Vakker blew the air sharply through her nostrils right in Maren’s face, making her brown bangs move in the sudden gust of wind.

The sardonic look on the animal's face made Elsa laugh again, and Maren send the animal of for the night. Elsa could see, as Vakker stepped behind the tree line that three or four other reindeer had been waiting close by their movements’ barley visible now as they vanished into the woods, probably to find a good resting place for the night.

“You have more reindeer?”

“Yes, six in total. Luckily for you, not all are as cuddly as Vakker. Sorry about her attack earlier by the way. She just really likes meeting new people. Follows them around like a dog.”

“It’s fine. I barely realized what happened back there anyway….”

The last part Elsa had mumbled more to herself, but Maren caught it.

“I noticed,” she said, and even though her face was mostly neutral, her eyes laughed at Elsa, and the sudden redness of her pale cheeks was only partly caused by embarrassment.

“You, ahm..you let them run around free like that?”

“Yep, they always come when I call them and they are strong enough to protect themselves, so no need to lock them up.”

“I see…” Elsa said, and suddenly she remembered something.

“I have a trunk full of cheese.” she blurted out without her usual filter, and she cringed as soon the words left her mouth. Maren’s eyebrows nearly vanished behind her bangs, before she laughed so hard that she had to rest her hands on her knees.

Elsa’s face was on fire!

“Is….ah mmmh….is this some weird phrase you use in Arendelle?”

Elsa could tell that Maren really tried to compose herself, an apoplectic gleam in her eyes for laughing at her like that and even flustered like she was now, she appreciated the effort.

“No, I mean it more in the literal sense.”

Maren stopped laughing abruptly; now only one eyebrow raised at her, a slightly crooked half-smile on her face, and Elsa smiled sheepishly back at her before both turned slowly towards the car.

Elsa walked over, beckoning Maren to follow her, opening the trunk so the smaller woman could take a look inside. Elsa watched her from the corner of her eye.

Maren’s arms were folded across her chest as she took in the amount of cheese, smiling to herself and shaking her head. Then she turned to Elsa again, her brown eyes gleaming as she spoke.

“Iloh?” was her only question and Elsa nodded.

“Damn, that woman always exaggerates…” she said, no real bite behind her words, sighing a little.

“Well, what do you think of cheese for dinner?”

Now it was Elsa’s turn to laugh.

Elsa had never been so thankful for a shower in all her life, the hot water and the amazingly soft towels were a dream come true!

Maren had lent her some of her clothes. There were a little short but they would serve their purpose until Elsa could get some in her size.

Dinner was, to Elsa’s great surprise, not an awkward affair, mostly thanks to Maren.

She was easygoing yet attentive, with a wonderful sense of humor and the most addicting way of listening to your every word, that encouraged Elsa to talk, share a little more of herself than she would have normally done with someone she knew for such a short amount of time. And the soup! Elsa was pretty sure her tongue orgasmed as she took the first spoon.

_‘And don’t get me started on the bread!’_

After dinner Maren refused Elsa’s help with the dishes, resolutely showing her the guestroom, wishing her good night. The room was lovely! Small, but cozy and like everything she had seen of Maren’s house, absolutely spotless, the smell of fresh wood and pine filling Elsa’s senses.

The material of her linen and her blanket in her comfortable bed reminded her of her mother’s purple shale.

The lovingly decorated fabric had always been a comfort when Elsa had been sick or upset, carefully woven around her shoulders by her mother before her warm arms would hold Elsa close. Lying now in this bed felt a little bit like that and with the distant memory of her mother’s warm hug, she fell asleep

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You made it!! Thanks for reading, leaving a comment and/or a Kudo!  
> Take care!!


	3. Pancakes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Elsa has some great Pancakes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here the newest chapter! Have fun with it. Tomorrow or so I probably post the next chapter cause I couldn't stop writing, but the stuff has to edidit so be patient.

The song of birds woke Elsa up, but the bed was so comfortable, the sheets so fresh and fragrant that she did not rose right away, but turned from her side on her back, one arm draped on her forehead, eyes still closed to the world around her. The window was right next the bed, and through the curtains she could feel the warmth of the sun, already strong, boastful with her power.

It took only a moment for her to realize that she was not in her apartment.  
The first clue that she was not at home, were the slight sounds of someone roaming around in the kitchen, dishes rattling and the delightful aroma of coffee filling the whole house.

Honeyma…Maren was probably already up, preparing breakfast and the thought made her stomach rumble.  
And the second clue came in the form of a large shadow just outside her window that pushed slightly against its poor frame, making it squeak in agony and causing Elsa to jump slightly.

With one quick jerk of her hand she pushed the curtains to the side and was greeted by Vakker, standing directly in front of her window, her pleading look back on her face, pushing against the window again, and with Elsa now in her line of sight a little more forceful than before.  
The young woman could not help but smile, and as she opened the window, the reindeer laid her head carefully on the windowsill to get a good cuddle, almost sighing as Elsa patted her.  
It was unbelievable how such a giant, muscular animal, that probably would give any bear that thought of her as dinner, a hard time, was such an absolutely adorable, almost clingy sweetheart.

_‘Simply adorable.’_

Elsa thought, looking ahead, to the woods, admiring how the light of the sun made the green leaves shine, and how the wind rustled through them, but there was something else….it sounded …like….like a voice?! Was someone out there in the woods?

It almost felt like someone was calling her.

Suddenly a window was ripped open, making Elsa jump, breaking the spell and Maren’s angry voice could be heard, as she spoke in a funny mix of whispering and yelling.

“Vakker, how many times do I have to tell you to get away from that window ……Oh, hey Elsa,” Maren said, using her normal voice again as she saw that Vakker had managed to coax the object of her affection to stand up and give her a good scratch.

It must have looked funny, the way Vakker stood at her window, giving Elsa a little push to make her hand resume its patting, and Maren hanging out of her kitchen window next to her, looking a little sheepish for whisper -yelling at her reindeer like that while Elsa was present, but funny enough the taller woman did not care how ridiculous that must look for an outsider…..

“Morning,” Elsa said and felt her smile widened.

“How about some coffee and breakfast? I have pancakes and some clothes that should fit you better. There in the bathroom.”

“You had me at coffee,” Elsa said and her stomach chooses to make itself known again, rumbling almost aggressively.

That made Maren chuckle, and Elsa felt her cheeks grew slightly pink again.

“Well, then come on over. Hey Vakker, let Elsa have breakfast. Of you go, you can cuddle with her later.”

And even though she did it very unwillingly, Vakker obeyed right away trotting off to the woods, probably to find Maren’s other reindeers.  
With a friendly smile for Elsa, the smaller woman closed the window and the soft rattling sound of dishes resumed now accompanied by something that sizzled in a pan.

Elsa remained for a moment longer at the open window, breathing in the fresh air and looking in the direction where she swore she heard someone…sing?  
But as the bewitching scent of fresh pancakes mixed with the rich smell of coffee caused yet another threatening growl of her stomach, she gave herself a little push, shook her head, grabbed her phone, and made her way to the bathroom.

In the hallway, she glanced at her phone, and next to the twenty missed calls from her grandfather she saw the usual texts from her sister, some of mother and father, all asking if she was ok and, in Anna’s case, teasing her for messing up a simple mission of buying cheese so spectacularly.

 _‘Just you wait until you hear what I have in store for you, dear sister!’_ she thought bitterly, not looking forward to this particular talk, suddenly happy that she had an excuse to not heading home right away, giving her chance to gather herself, to sort out her own feelings on this mess before she had to drag her sister down the same hole.

But what really surprised her was the time, proudly adorning her phone!

_’11:30!?’_

The last time she had slept that long was….she never slept that long in all her life now that she thought about it.  
And the best part was, her phone was not on silent, so that meant she slept through her five alarms, and the twenty, probably very persistent calls of her grandfather, not to mention the many little ‘plings’ of the messages she had received, the sound that sometimes alone was enough to wake her.

 _‘What is this place doing to me?’_ she thought, mildly surprised about herself.

She browsed through her messages, answered her mother and father, reassuring them that she was alright without any specifics where she was, for she was pretty sure that Anna made up some elaborate story to cover up Elsa’s true mission.

And sure enough, as Elsa closed the bathroom door behind her, and started to read through the nearly thirty messages her sister has written, she now learned that she was staying in Weselton, to meet with some rich but hard to please client Anna made up and not in the reclusive Northuldra, trying to buy cheese for her mother’s birthday, only to find out that said mother had kept a big secret all her life, discovering that she was half Northuldra only to get her car destroyed by a, granted, very friendly guy in a monster truck and then brought to monster-truck-guy’s sister, to fix her car and give her place to stay while inspiration nearly turned her insane, granting her to draw like she was not able to in months.  
And even though all of that sounded absolutely crazy, she could not help but love how she had experienced more, in less than twenty-four hours than in three years working at her grandfather’s company.

_‘Not to mention that monster-truck-guy’s sister is really…..nice.’_

For a moment she looked at the closed bathroom door, listening to the noise that came from the kitchen, and shook her head, letting a sound that was a mix of a sigh and a laugh.  
She was a little disappointed with herself, for she had thought that the time of raging hormones would be over, that she was more in control but here she was, feeling giddy like a teenager again.  
She turned her gaze away from the door, looking in the mirror over the sink and at the sight of her relaxed expression on her normally so stressed and tired face, realizing that the rings under her eyes, that had been constant companions for over a year by now, were now nearly gone after one good night’s sleep and not even a whole day without her grandfather breathing down her neck.  
Like on cue, her phone light up, showing the name of her dearest grandfather, Runeard Arendelle, in capital letters, with probably the most annoying ringtone she had on this thing.

_‘Why did I pick this one again?’_

She did not even need to answer her phone to know what he would say, what he would sound like, condescending, his spitefulness masterfully masked under almost friendly chatter.  
What did it say about their relationship, as grandfather and granddaughter, that she had chosen the very austere, almost cold full name treatment when for the rest of her family she had picked the much more loving ‘mother’, ‘father’ and ‘sister-dear’, a nickname Anna always rolled her eyes at, to save their numbers under and even took the time to search through her phone and pick a photo?  
She held her phone for a moment, staring at the plain name as it rang, her thumb hovering unsure over the screen until she made her decision, trusting her gut for a change and swiped left and turned her phone on silent.

_‘Fuck it!! Just roll with it, Elsa. What’s the worst that could happen?’_

Next to the sink, placed on the rim of the tub, she found a neatly folded bundle of clothes, topped with a new toothbrush and a comb.

_‘Maren must have been up early to get all that.’_

Elsa smiled as she looks down at the small proves of her host’s thoughtfulness, before started to make herself ready for the day.  
The clothes were some simple long-sleeved shirts and two pairs of jeans. They fitted perfectly and were obviously second hand, but very well taken care of, clean and the faint smell of the detergent that still clung to the fabric was bewitching, something like apple blossom mixed with honeysuckle, subtle, perfect, and Elsa made a mental note to ask Maren if she knew a brand that smelled like this and made a mental note to fill her trunk not just with cheese this time.  
After brushing her teeth and braiding her hair, she went to find Maren in the kitchen, finding a cup of Coffee and a plate with two pancakes, garnished with blueberries, making the whole picture look like a professional photographer would come around any moment and start his shooting for one of the cooking magazines her father loved to read.

“Ah, they fit. I knew that Fara and you are about the same height.”

Maren pointed at the clothes, smiling at her as she placed her own plate on the table.  
Elsa smiled at her, sitting down.

“Yes, they are perfect. Thank you.”

“You have to thank Fara. Vakker and I rode by her house this morning as I went to the store.”

“Fara? The Fara that is getting the spare parts for my car?”

But before Maren could answer another thought hit Elsa, as she replayed Maren’s words in her head.

“Wait, wait, wait, you rode to the store? On Vakker?”

Maren’s smile grew wider; her eyes gleaming as understanding dawned on her.

“Ah yes, that is Northuldra for you, Ryder has the family car, he needs it for his work so Mum, Dad and I use the reindeer to get around. Most do actually. Cars are hard to come by here.”

“So on the ‘parking lot’ in front of the store, hundreds of reindeers are waiting?”

Elsa knew she sounded excited, almost like a child, but the vision of people using reindeer in their daily life the same way they did with horses in these fantasy movies she loved to see with Anna when they were kids, almost made her squeal with joy.  
Maren laughed again.

“Well, I wouldn’t say hundreds, but on a Saturday…maybe fifty, sixty. If you want I can take you right after breakfast.”

“But why should….”

Maren gave her a small, cheeky smile that made Elsa’s cheeks turn pink as she understood why they should find a store for Elsa soon.

_‘Of course, underwear and socks would have been a bit too personal to buy for a total stranger. Accept when you are a serial killer/stalker that was not above to check the size of her underwear…’_

“Yes, that would be nice thank you,” Elsa mumbled only to blush more as Maren chuckled lightly again before she took a sip of her coffee.

_‘Stop blushing! Why are you so easily flustered when ….oh, who am I kidding…..’_

Elsa had to work really hard to keep herself from rolling her eyes at herself, for it would look defiantly a bit crazy to do that, instead, she offered a small smile.  
As she took fork and knife to hand, finally giving her angry stomach what it wanted as she tried to steer the conversation back to safer territory than her underwear but as soon the first bite it was hard to think of anything else then this perfect taste filling her senses.

_‘What is it with this food here?!’_

Maren only watched with amused eyes as Elsa suddenly grew all quiet, her whole body absolutely still for a second, before she started chewing again with a sigh, cutting more of the pancake eagerly.

“They are delicious! And believe me, I know what I am talking about.” Elsa managed to say between bites.

“Thank you! Special Northuldra recipe. The secret are the eggs.”

It was cute Elsa decided how honestly proud Maren was, sitting a straighter and puffing out her chest a little.

“But why are you a Pancake-expert?”

With her plate almost empty, her hunger somewhat tamed she explained.

“It’s a thing with my dad, he loves Pancakes! Mother never seemed to care much for them though so, when we were younger, he took my sister and I to nearly every place that served pancakes in all of Arendelle, I am sure. We had them all so I recognize a good one when I have it.”

“Aww, that is adorable! Are you three still doing that?”

There it was again, the way Maren listened to her, asking just the right questions and Elsa felt herself share more than she normally would.

“Sometimes, but not as much as we used to….probably a good thing when I think about it. Maybe we should start doing something healthier for bonding time.”  
Maren chuckled at that and Elsa smiled, loving the effortless way they could talk with each other.

“It is nice of you to call this breakfast by the way and not draw attention to the fact that I slept till noon like total slack of.” The taller woman added, but Maren would have none of that.

“Hey, after a day like you had yesterday I would still be sleeping right now. Cut yourself some slack.”

Elsa felt understood and was very thankful for it.

“By the way, my mother called this morning, she heard from Ryder that you are in Northuldra and she really wants to meet you.”

That surprised Elsa and by the reassuring smile that grazed Maren’s face, she must look like it too.

“Don’t worry you don’t have to if you don’t want to. But she and your mother were very good friends when they grew up and she really wants to see you. I am actually surprised she asked if you felt up to it and not just waltzed in her without warning and…..”

“She knew my mother as a child?” Elsa interrupted her, knowing it was rude but she could not help herself.

“I always wanted to know what her childhood was like. I asked her so much about when I was younger, but she never said anything and later I figured it was too painful for her to talk about but now it looks like she didn’t want to risk slipping up…..I…What I am trying to say is: Yes, I really want to talk to your mother! Can we go now?”

She was rambling, even being a bit pushy, Elsa knew, but there was no way she would pass this up.  
If Maren minded her sudden outburst she did not show it.

“Alright, why don’t you finish your pancake and I get Vakker ready, good?”

Elsa nodded eagerly, quickly starting to eat again while Maren put her platter in the sink, whistling for Vakker as she stepped outside.


	4. The Chieftess And The Princess?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh well...editing did go quicker than I thought. Then have fun with the next chapter, but don't get used to the quick update pattern;-D!  
> Enjoy and take care out there!  
> Up next is a new chapter for LLTU...probably ;-)

Half an hour later Elsa found herself sitting in a cart, **a real, honest to the god's cart!!!**

She couldn’t believe it!

It was not like the first time she had sat in a vehicle like this, but it had been much more formal at the time, more of a carriage with bright white horses pulling it.

The sixth marriage of her grandfather’s older sister Pronticia, her great aunt….or something like that, had been a very pompous and traditional affair, but fun none the less.

Pronticia had always liked children, and with no grandchildren of her own, Elsa and Anna quickly took that place in her heart.  
She spoiled them rotten as kids and let them do anything they wanted but this was not the reason Elsa liked her so much.

She was generous and besides her love for glamour, she was hardworking, managing the business of her first husband flawlessly, that produced canned food, from peas to corn to everything you could put in a can, really. But most she liked her ability to make her younger brother speechless, a task that Elsa had never accomplished.

But this, slightly bumpy ride to the store, in an actual well-used cart, with the wind in her hair and the sun on her face was better than any fancy ride Arendelle had to offer. She felt how Maren glanced at her from time to time, smiling at her obvious enjoyment, but she did not say anything, just smiled a little to herself and answered every question Elsa had for her.

The cart was built out of dark wood that grew deep in the woods around them, making it nearly as black as Vakker, who easily pulled it like it weighed nothing.  
Beautiful symbols were carved into it, some looking like they showed little stories, and as Elsa asked Maren about it, she confirmed her suspicion, telling her the tale of ‘The Wolfe on the Hunt’ pointing at the pictures that were carved into the wood. It was a funny story of two, very old reindeer that tricked the wolf to jump in the river were the water spirit caught it in the current and carried it far away.

“The spirit of water?”

“Yes, according to legend there are the spirits of water, fire, air and earth. They guide the Northuldra and protect nature and its magic.”

Maren explained pointing to a symbol on the cart - a square, where each side belonged to one of the spirits, the same that was stitched into her mother's scarf, but then she pointed in the middle of the symbol.

“But look, there is a fifth spirit, said to be a bridge between us and the magic of nature!” her voice had become dramatic - she even acted it out a little with her hands, making Elsa chuckle.

Maren smiled broadly at her success, and Elsa had to push her laughter down at the pleased expression on her face.

“Ah..a fifth spirit? What Element belongs to it?” Elsa asked, quirking one eyebrow.

“Alas, only Athollan knows!”

“Athollan?”

“Yes, where the north wind meets the see…”

“There is a river full of memory.”

Elsa shocked them both with that, the first words Maren had recited, triggering a memory deep within her, of nights were her father was on business trip and only mother, Anna and herself remained at home, the sweet voice of her mother filled the room as she sung a lullaby that was only meant for the three of them, their little secret she had called it.

“You know the song?” Maren asked, eyes wide with surprise.

“Yes, mother sang it for us whenever we were alone,” Elsa answered with tears in her eyes, not knowing why she was so emotional all of the sudden.  
But Maren seemed to understand. A tender hand found her way on Elsa’s shoulder, comforting and warm, Maren’s eyes gleaming in the afternoon sun.

“Looks like your mother did not keep everything from you.” She said softly and something skipped a beat in Elsa’s chest, making her feel a little shaken, the same feeling when she missed a step and stumbled but Maren’s hand and smile grounded her again.

“Yes, it looks like it,” Elsa said, her watery smile and running nose somehow not running the mood.

Never in her life would Elsa have thought that going to the store to buy some socks and underwear could be such an adventure.

_‘Well, just take a look at how buying cheese turned out so far so what do I know!”_

Here she was, on the parking lot of a perfectly normal store, maybe a bit smaller than the ones in Arendelle, but instead of cars, there were reindeer, lots and lots of reindeer in all shapes and sizes and even some calves, that followed their mother like a shadow, or played with each other could be seen. Some of the reindeer were harnessed to cart like Vakker, waiting patiently for their owners to return, while other Northuldra whistled or called for their respective mounts.  
It was loud, it was messy, it was chaos and Elsa loved it!!

_‘Oh, Anna I wish you could see this!!’_

Elsa made photo after photo before putting her phone away and roamed through the happy chaos like a child on a fair, taking in everything she was not familiar with, which was everything really.  
Different colors, different clothing, children, barley even five, fearlessly riding a reindeer like it was nothing - it was a sight to behold.

The inside of the store, however, was much like the ones she was used to from Arendelle, only with a few items that could only be found here. Some spices for example, and some brushes that looked like they were needed to keep a reindeer clean and happy, at least when Elsa could trust the commercial that ran on a little old tube television above the display.

In this little more mundane environment she couldn’t help but notice the simple fact how everyone seemed to know Maren, greeting her respectfully with ‘Honeymaren’ or even her full name, ‘Honeymaren Nattura’, followed by a little bow combined with the right hand, balled into a fist that was placed on the chest close to the heart.  
And Maren in turn seemed to know all of them, calling them by their name, asking after a sick father here and about the school problems of a daughter there.

Elsa watched her curiously out of the corner of her eye while she picked some socks and underwear in her size.  
At the register, Maren paid before Elsa could do much more than give her an appalled look that quickly turned into a grateful expression after Maren explained that Northuldra had a different currency than Arnedelle.  
On the way back to Vakker, Elsa reassured Maren over and over that she would give her money back as soon she could but the smaller woman shrugged it off.

“Relax Elsa, it is fine. After what my brother has done to your car, the least I can do is to make sure you have something clean to wear while you here. And besides, the place where you can change money would take quite some time to reach. Don’t worry about it.” Maren said easily, lending Elsa a hand so she could climb up on the cart before effortlessly jumping up herself, giving Vakker another whistle and the big animal seemed to understand what needed to be done and which way she needed to take.

The architect had a hard time letting it go, but Maren seemed to really not care when or even if she got her money back so the taller woman let it slide, for now.  
She had something else she wanted to ask.

“So, what was that back there?”

“What?”

“The people in the store. Some nearly took a knee before you.”

For a moment Maren seemed not to understand what Elsa meant, then an almost sheepish expression grazed her face, as she rubbed her neck with one hand, looking simply adorable.

“Ah, of course, you would catch that…well, to explain that would have to go a bit back into our history. Interested?”

Ignoring the second skip in her chest this day, as Maren had said ‘our history’ not ‘her history’, the architect folded her hands neatly in her lap turning slightly towards Maren, transforming into attention personified, and Maren laughed - a loud laugh, a good laugh Elsa decided.

“Alright, so…. long ago, as our ancestors lived in many smaller tribes there were always lead by a chief or a chieftess, and those were aided by a small group of elders, which served as a council. Back then the eldest child of the current chief would become the next leader, but one day, they realized that being the child of a leader does not make you a good one yourself-"

"Just like that? What did happened?"

At that Maren got a mischievous smile on her face, looking at her from the side.

"Ah, I could tell you about Che Che who lost her pants or how Truma, the forgetful managed to lose a whole herd of reindeer in one day, but that would take too long. We would be ten times at my parents before I even finish the failures of one of them."

"How did Che Che lose her pants?" Elsa asked, hiding her giggle behind her hand.

Maren gave her a toothy grin but shook her head.

"It's a good story but a long one. Another time?"

Elsa nodded in agreement, knowing that Maren would be true to her word and tell all there was to know about 'Che Che who lost her pants'.

_'Can't wait to hear about that one!'_

"So, where was I....ah yes, so to sort out anyone who was not fit for leadership a new tradition was forged.  
The current leader chooses the one he or she saw as worthy, no matter the degree of kinship, the age, or the gender, and when the tribe agreed, and only then, the one the leader had chosen was named the leader's successor, the next-in-line. There were many trials and tests for the chosen one all throughout his life so the tribe had a basis to decide on, some of it pretty crazy stuff.

But after we evolved and our communities grew, build towns and so on, the chief thing was not really suitable anymore for there were so many new things on a much bigger scale to decide and set into motion, impossible for only one person to know everything about to make a good and just decisions, so the elders came back into play.

The councils of elders grew and got more specific assignments and they were voted now by the rest of the community. I think you can compare it with your ministers in Arendelle.

You have a minister for agriculture; we have an elder for agriculture, same job, just different names.

Then came Dam and left no space for old traditions and democracy. It will take us a while to bounce back from this but we are on a good path.

The chief position still exists though but the power it once held is much more divided now.  
In total there are four chiefs, one for the north, one for the west, one for the south and one for the east of Northuldra.

Yelena is the chieftess of the north and she made me her next-in-line.

That’s why all people know me here. I had to push through a bunch of crazy trials to ‘proof my worth’ in front of everybody so no wonder they remember me.”

“Everybody watched you?” Elsa asked, raising an eyebrow at Maren, clearly thinking she was exaggerating.

“Well, it is a small country. There are only about four million people living in all of Northuldra, so with a few thousand showing up, it was practically the whole population of the north that came and watched me jumping through burning hoops.”

That made Elsa laugh until a thought hit her.

“You didn’t really had to do that, did you?”

“No…..I did walk over hot coals though….”

“Really?” Elsa asked, not sure what she thought of this.

“Really. But do you want to know the best part about this crazy ritual was?”

The taller woman nodded eagerly.

“With Dam in power, living our old traditions was dangerous, the chiefs lived in hiding, for there were symbols of the old freedoms we once had, but even with so many people knowing about the ritual, knowing where it was held and that all the chiefs would be attending, not one of them said anything, no one betrayed us. It was the moment I knew we could beat them and be free one day.”

There was so much love and pride in Maren’s voice and Elsa could only look at her, the expression on the smaller woman’s face something to behold, to be remembered.  
Suddenly she wished she had her drawing pad with her….

_‘Yeah sure Elsa, not creepy at all to ask her if you can draw her…’_

“So, you are the future chieftess of the north?”

“Yep, the one and only.”

Elsa smiled, looking at Maren for a moment, thinking about how she had been nothing but kind to her, a complete stranger, doing everything in her power to help her, and she started to understand what had convinced everyone that Maren was the best for the job.

_‘She certainly looks the part. All proud and strong and…ah, ok Elsa wrong direction!’_

With a sharp inhale she peeled her eyes away from Maren, a comfortable silence falling over them, only Vakker’s sure steps and the slightly rattling of the cart could be heard.  
Elsa felt herself be lulled in by the warm sun and slight breeze, it was a beautiful day and suddenly she wished her family could be here too.

Well, maybe not right here, in this cart cause being alone with Maren was…..nice, very nice to say the least, but here in Northuldra, experiencing all this with her.  
A sound, something between contentment and sadness, escaped her as she closed her eyes, loving the smell of the pines that grew along the street.

“What about you?”

Elsa jumped slightly at the question.

“What about me?”

“You are Elsa Arendelle. As far as I know, your grandfather has been the king of Arendelle. So, are you still royalty?”

“Ha, no even if my grandfather acts like he still is, we are not the royal family anymore. My father was an official prince until he was eleven but then the monarchy was abolished and we lost all our titles, so I never was a princess. Even before that the royal family was more of a….mascot really. No real authority. I probably would have spent all my time opening hospitals and kissing a lot of babies. So I am quite happy how it turned out.”

Maren smiled at her, understanding in her eyes.

“I get that! Even though I am sure you can cut a ribbon like no other."

Maren teased light-heartedly, making Elsa snort and before she could overthink it, she gave the smaller woman a soft push, yet still nearly breaking her hand at the rock hard muscles at the shorter woman's arm, making the other laugh again. It was a friendly gesture, casual like she would have shared with Anna, but one that left her hand missing the contact.

There were silent again until there reached the home of Maren’s parents. It was yet another thing she liked about the other woman. Her simple ability to not force one into a conversation, but being patient enough to wait for the right moment, having no problem with some silence once in a while, making Elsa’s slightly reclusive nature rejoice at the fact, that it was not forced to engage constantly.

The house of the Nattura parents was similar to Maren’s, maybe a bit larger and painted in a beautiful deep blue, that Elsa would have never choose for anything she owned, yet found it surprisingly pleasing to look at, especially with the yellow flowers that seem to grow everywhere.

Halfway to the front door she suddenly felt a little nervous, unsure, before she reminded herself that she was invited, expected even and like Maren could read her mind she turned to her, her full lips smiling this enticing half-smile of hers that, while incredible sexy, managed to be reassuring as well somehow.

“Ready?” she asked, eyes gleaming in the sun, and Elsa’s heart skipped a beat again, her nerves fluttering, but for a whole different reason than meeting a stranger that seemed to know more about her mother than she did.

“Ready.” She heard herself say, returning the smile that was offered to her before Maren knocked three times at the door.


	5. The Emotional Day

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, I know I said I would update LLTU first but that one needs a little more work! But next week Finally we will have chapter six!!  
> Till then have fun with this one!  
> Bye! Stay healthy and stay safe!

After Maren knocks, Elsa almost immediately heard steps from the inside of the house and a man opened the door. He was tall, lean and as he smiled at the two young women at his doorstep it was clear that this had to be Maren’s father - his daughter looked strikingly similar to him, except the gleaming blue eyes, which Ryder had scored for himself. And sure enough, he greeted Maren with a warm smile and a hug, while saying:

“Hey there little bug.”

Elsa had to swallow her laugh back down and even though she could not see Maren’s face, she knew the other woman was rolling her eyes at her father.

_‘Little Bug?! Awww!’_

“Dad, don’t call me that when we have guests. It’s embarrassing.” Maren said while looking not at all embarrassed, giving Elsa a cheeky side glance, smiling at her while, indeed, rolling her eyes slightly, before gesturing to the tall man.

“Elsa, this is my father, Fiskar Nattura. Dad, this is Elsa Arendelle, the one with a trunk full of cheese.”

Father and daughter laughed at that, looking almost shockingly alike as they did so. That fact that Maren had told her parents about this very embarrassing incident had Elsa blushing, pursing her lips slightly unhappy at the smaller woman, raising her eyebrows at her. But Maren seemed not bothered by that look at all, only smiling on with an infuriating smugness that made Elsa think much different thoughts, worthy of being turned into poetry.

Things like ‘Hot, Hot, Hot……Hot, Hot, Hot…’ and ‘fuckedy fuck fuck’ were among the most coherent of them but to her immensely luck, Mr. Nattura seemed not to notice the very impropriate ogling of his daughter….or he was too polite to say something.

_‘I’ll take it.’_

But her rich sarcastic interior life came to a complete halt as she saw the honest joy in the man’s face, his blue eyes shimmering suspiciously.

“Elsa….ah…you don’t know how good it is to see you…..You look so much like Iduna!”

“You know my mother too?”

She must have looked as excited as she felt, for Fiskar laughed softly, while Maren’s incredible sexy smirk got even wider, causing the wild ‘Hot, Hot, Hot’ and ‘Fuckedy fuck fuck’ – tango of her thoughts to start anew and only the prospect to talk to someone that knew her mother from her childhood years could pull her back.

_‘Yeah sure Elsa, let your sexual urges deem this woman a fine piece of ass while her **FATHER** is greeting you in his home. You go Girl!’_

It took all her willpower to not kick herself, as she focused on what Mr. Nattura said next.

“Yes, we were friends when we were young but where are my manners, please come inside. You better go with her Maren.” he quickly added to his daughter, who had already moved to Vakker, to free her of her reigns, feed and water her.

“Don’t worry I take care of Vakker, you take care of your mother. You know how she gets whith stuff like this.” Mr. Nattura said, with a humorous, somewhat knowing twinkle in his eyes, as he gave his daughter a pad on the shoulder and saw to it that the big reindeer’s needs were catered to.

“Well, alright,” Maren said with a little sigh, giving Elsa an almost apoplectic smile, before she pointed with her hand to the still open door, bowing a little.

“After you,” she said simply, following her closely, holding the door for her as they entered, and closing the bright blue door behind them with a soft click.

They stood in a small hallway, painted in a very tasteful yellow, where Maren bent down, opening a small drawer next to the door and grabbed a simple pair of slippers, the ones you have for gusts and that seemed to fit anyone, and passed them to Elsa, before getting a pair herself. As they changed footwear Maren whispered to her, very quietly so only Elsa could hear her.

“Listen, mam will be very…emotional. She and your mother were like sisters and she never knew what became of your mother after she was hidden away. For a long time, she thought she died with the rest of your family and as she learned the truth she had no means of contacting her. Operation Mist still closed us off and if she tried anyway, Dam could have picked up the cold trail of your mother and that would have come close to a death sentence for both of them. And after we freed Northuldra…we still could have put your mother, your sister and you at risk if we contacted you recklessly, a lot of Dam’s agents were free and we had rationed our very limited resources to focus on the young children that where taken……mam always pleaded with Yelena but…she… had to be firm in this decision.”

The way Maren said that combined with the sad tint to her eyes made it crystal clear to Elsa that Maren’s mother had not just pleaded with Yelena, the current chieftess of the north, but also with her successor. A heartbreaking task to deny her mother like that!

“Well, what I want to say is…if it gets too much just give me a sign, like a nod or…”

“A safeword.”

_‘Fuck my filter!’_

Silence.

_‘Crap, Crap, Crap!’_

Slowly Maren turned to her, this time her eyebrows vanished behind her bangs.

_‘CRAP, CRAP, CRAP!’_

The smaller woman smiled, this damn, good for nothing smile of hers!

The ‘Hot- Hot-Fuckedy-Fuck-Hot’ – tango started again, but a remix, underlined with an awkward beat of- **‘ _CRAP, CARP, CARP!’_**

“Sure, why not? What do you have in mind?” Maren asked smoothly, giving her whisper a slightly deeper tone, teasing and obviously enjoying herself way too much. Elsa could not look away from these warm brown eyes as she opened her mouth, with no clue what was going to fall out of there.

“Little Bug.”

Silence again, even the wild DJ-party in her head stopped dead in its tracks, vinyl scratching and all.

Maren’s expression was something else, part astonishment mixed with a little crossness that her childhood nickname was used against her in a surprising witty remark, but mostly…mostly excitement? What was that?! Elsa could not put her finger on it but luckily for her Maren’s smile changed to the kind version that calmed her immediately, not the ‘I take-your-ability-to-think-and-form-coherent-sentences’ kind of smile.

“Sure. Little Bug it is.” Maren said simply, before walking ahead and Elsa followed her through the hallway into the living room.

The mediums sized room was the summit of coziness – the walls were decorated with family pictures, small self-made trinkets, and hand-drawn pictures of strange symbols, that reminded Elsa of the once that were carved into Maren’s cart. It was full, but not too full in this room, and with the dark green color, it made Elsa feel like she stepped under a very thick growing leaf canopy – a safe feeling, a good feeling….like home.

Close to the large window, stood a small table, a sofa, and some very comfortable looking cushions. Someone had already placed a steaming coffee pot, some cups and milk, and sugar on the table, and on a neat little plate, some very delicious looking cakes waited to be eaten. All smelled heavenly.

_‘The food here is insane!’_

Elsa thought then her gaze fell on a woman around her mother’s age that had sat on the sofa and looked out the window watching some birds in her yard. She sat all stiff and tense and was so deep in thought that she had not heard them enter, probably just as nervous as Elsa felt right now.

_‘This is absolutely bonkers!’_

“Mam?” Maren’s voice made the two other women in the room jump, for a second Elsa had forgotten that Maren stood right next to her. Maren’s mother turned at the voice of her daughter and her eyes met Elsa's, and the older woman tensed even more before and rose from the sofa. She was by far the smallest out of the four Nattura’s she had met, but lean and strong, with something cunning gleaming in her brown eyes, who had the same shade as her daughter, and Elsa got the impression of a lynx - not the biggest predator but dangerous when provoked.

“This my mother, Skjolda Nattura. Mam, this is…”

“Elsa.” Mrs. Nattura, said letting the name come out like a sigh mixed with a breathy laugh like she had been holding her breath the whole time Maren had introduced them.

Elsa’s mind drew blank, she could not say anything to this woman that looked at her like she was her lost daughter or something like that. But before she could panic and say something stupid, Mrs. Nattura was with her, hugging her, crying while doing so and Elsa had to bend a little to return the hug. She looked a little helpless to Maren, but she only smiled, a little teasing glint her eyes like, mouthing: ’You know what to say’, before walking over to the table and purring coffee for everyone.

Mrs. Nattura stepped back a little, but her hands kept a tender grip on Elsa’s arms, as the older woman looked at her from head to toe, studying her face very thoroughly.

“You look so much like your mother….I ... am so sorry for my outburst but…it’s just... that you are here that means that she is not only alive but had some luck too...I am just so happy. Come sit with me, tell me everything and I answer all your questions…. I am sure you have a lot. Come, Come!”

And she led Elsa to the sofa and like she was on autopilot Elsa sat down, accepted the coffee that was offered to her, while Mrs. Nattura rambled on, the mind of the architect still blank. Suddenly the older woman seemed to realize that Elsa had not said a word since she came in and she stopped herself, asking carefully:

“Only if that is alright with you, of course.”

Blank, her mind drew blank again, giving her nothing for one, two, three heartbeats then.

“It is alright with me.” fell out of her mouth and it sounded like someone else was speaking.

And strangely it was! It truly was alright as she sat there and listened, as this stranger slowly became familiar, telling her things her mother did as a child that made her laugh and cry at the same time.

Mr. Nattura joined them after a while and he too had many tales to tell as he served a little hearty meal, long after the cakes had been eaten.

So much Iduna did back then reminded her of Anna, wild and unhinged at times, but always kind. But Mrs. Nattura did not stop there, as she opened a drawer close to the sofa, pulled out an old photo album, and gave it to Elsa.

The young woman could not have said why her hands were shaking as she opened the album, but as she looked at the picture on the first page she found the answer. She recognized her mother immediately – she was around ten or nine and she had her long hair braided in a similar fashion than Anna when she had been that age, wearing something that looked like a traditional tunic of some sort. Her mother stood a little to the left, in front of two men around the same age as her mother was now, one of them had the same blue eyes as her…

“These were her fathers, Yesti and Keval. They were the sweetest and very devoted to each other and their family. I was often a guest in your mother’s home and Yesti was the best cook you could find and Keval always told these funny stories he would write himself.”

Mrs. Nattura told her, as he followed Elsa's gaze.

_‘She never told me she was raised by two fathers…AHHH, who Am I kidding….there is little she told me about herself at all…….”_

She let her gaze roam across the picture, taking in all the different faces, some of them had her nose, eyes, eyebrows…

_‘No, I have theirs…I…’_

Then her eyes stopped at the image of a small boy, standing next to a very pregnant woman, and she felt sick all of a sudden, a shiver run down her spine.

Mrs. Nattura seemed to guess what Elsa was thinking at this moment, and a warm hand found its way on Elsa’s shoulder and she started breathing again.

“Did…did really no one else make it?”

Elsa asked, knowing the answer, fearing it as she fixated on the boy in the picture. She could feel Mrs. Nattura shift a little next to her, as she reached over and closed the album again.

“I am sorry, Elsa. Dam was ruthless and if they would have known anything of your mother or you and your sister, you all would have met the same fate. So, when you talk to her, keep in mind that she only wanted to protect you!” Mrs. Nattura held on to her shoulder before, brown eyes boring into her, so different from her mother’s blue ones, yet so similar.

“And I think that is enough for today, you have been bombarded with a lot and you need time to come to terms with all that. Visit me again. Tomorrow? We can speak more then.”

Elsa blinked, wanted to disagree but then she looked out the window, realized slightly shocked that it was already getting dark, and like her body had just waited for her to see the setting sun she felt immensely tired like she just run a marathon.

_‘In some ways I did….an emotional marathon....’_

She was more than thankful as she saw that Mr.Nattura and Maren had at one point, walked out of the house and prepared Vakker and the cart for the way back and all Elsa had to do was to hop on and let Maren drive her back to a warm bed. Before they drove off, Elsa turned to the Nattura-Parents, smiling at them.

“Thank you, for having me today sharing all this with me!”

“Thank you for coming. Should we get her tomorrow, Maren?”

“No, I can drop her off. No problem.”

And under many ‘see you soon’s’ Maren whistled and Vakker easily pulled the cart back home.

The ride back was mostly silent for Elsa had a lot to think about and Maren gave the space she needed. Shortly before they arrived at Maren's house again, the smaller woman spoke again, quietly, more mumbling to herself like she wanted to give Elsa the opportunity to ignore her if she wanted to.

“That wasn’t so bad.”

“What?”

“Well, to be true I thought my mother would totally flip.”

“Your mother was wonderful!”

“Yeah I know, right? You didn’t even need the safeword.” Maren teased her; yet smiling kindly, like what happened in the hallway was a totally normal, if slightly awkward conversation and nothing Elsa wanted to bury herself alive for.

_‘Nope! Totally normal conversation right there!’_

“No, I guess not.” Elsa laughed breathily, meeting the smaller woman’s brown eyes, holding her gaze for one moment …..another…..and another.

 _‘Ok, this is …..nice…..awkward as fuck but nice…wow, gods does she have beautiful eyes and her li…’_ At that moment Vakker stopped on her own, and both women jumped a little, breaking eye contact, realizing there had arrived home and after Maren had reassured her that she could take of Vakker alone Elsa quickly got ready for bed and vanished into her room.

She was tired, yet she lay awake for a little longer, but not only very hard to ignore feelings for her host made her restless but also a revelation. Her mother must have been so scared, not just as a child but later as a grown-up too, always fearful Dam could realize she was still alive and come for her and the family she had made.

 _‘I am going to change that!’_ was the last coherent thought she had before sleep finally took her.


	6. New Pathes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Elsa learns more about her lost family and Maren makes an exciting offer!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally back to the cheese! Elsamaren Summer was great but its good to be back. So here we go!  
> Have fun ;-)

Loud metallic clanking sounds woke Elsa early the next morning. For a moment she was disoriented, not really knowing where she was until the slight rattling of her window and the huge, familiar shadow right in front of it gave Elsa a pretty good idea.

And sure enough, as she opened the window she found Vakker right in front of her, obediently laying her head on the windowsill, waiting for Elsa to give her a good scratch, the big brown eyes of animal pleadingly looking up at her.

Elsa felt her heart soften and she had to smile. This reindeer, like so many things in her mother’s homeland, started to really grow on her, and suddenly, as she patted the now content Vakker, she felt her resolve from last night return, wanting nothing more than to jump in her car, drive home and get to her mother and bring her back here, end the fear and doubt she must have lived in for so long!

The clanking sounds intensified somewhat, catching Elsa’s attention, and with a last fond pat, she let Vakker go, very eager to see how far Maren had come already. And maybe to see Maren as well...

Quickly she dresses in some of the clothes Maren had gotten her, brushed her teeth, and passing the kitchen while braiding her hair, intending to get to the workshop immediately, but she saw something out of the corner of her eyes, making her stop.

Walking backward, peeking back into the kitchen she saw that Maren had prepared a small breakfast - a selection of fruits, some bred and lots of cheese waiting for Elsa.

_‘I am defiantly growing fond of a lot of things here!’_ Elsa thought, something fluttering in her stomach that had nothing to do with her hunger as she sat down for a quick breakfast.

Afterward, she stepped out into the quite cold morning, heading for the workshop with a weird mix of eagerness to see Maren and shyness because of her stupid ‘safe word’- slip up, making her chest feel too small all of the sudden, but before her stupid brain could overthink, causing her to run back into the house or into in the woods, hiding her face for all eternity for that matter, her eyes fell on Maren.

_‘ARMS…MUSCLES!!!’_

Her poor, very gay mind screamed at the sight of Maren’s very uncovered, very toned arms as she loosened the front wheel of her car, with an ease that told Elsa a **lot** of the strength these very beautiful arms possessed.

_‘Get a grip!!!! What are you? Sixteen? But by the gods! Did a sculpture make those perfect, stro…..OK BRAIN! That is not helping here!’_

Why oh, why Maren must choose this moment to turn around and look at her, these mesmerizing brown orbs gleaming, even the smudge on her left cheek looked kind of endearing in a way and now she smiled…..

_‘…LIPS….SMILE…NO, dam it brain! Stop it!! Listen!! She is talking!’_

“Morning Elsa, sorry for being so loud but I figured I get an early start. After yesterday you probably want to get back home as quickly as possible, talking to your mom and all.” Maren greeted her easily, not noticing Elsa’s mental meltdown.

How was it possible to be so incredibly hot the one’s brain nearly made its final goodbye, yet being so sweet and considerate at the same time?

Maren looked like she had worked quite some time on her car already - all sweaty, some of her clothes stained. It could only mean that she had gotten up in the middle of the night, prepared her breakfast, and then started working.

_‘Say something, Elsa! NOW! Please!!’_

“You don’t have to apologize for that! It’s really kind of you to work so hard.”

_‘Phew, very good Elsa! That sounded almost like you are a normal person!’_

Luckily Maren seemed unaware of Elsa’s inner turmoil; she just smiled a little …nervous? Looking so sweet and - 

_‘By the gods, Elsa! This is getting out of hand! How long do you know this woman again?_

_Oh, FUCK ME!! She has these cute wrinkles around her eyes when she smiles!’_

“It’s still too early to drop you of at my mam’s and I really should get some work done on your car. So do you think you will be alright on your own?” she asked, smiling in a way that implied that she knew very much what Elsa would be doing until it was time to head out.

And sure enough, Elsa felt her hands twitching, her fingers already missing her pencil, smiling a little sheepishly, feeling like a kid caught with her hand in the cookie jar.

“I think I can manage.” She offered carefully, making Maren’s eyes gleam and her smile widens as she pointed past her.

There, under a beautiful pine close to the house, was a small table and a very comfy looking chair, that screamed self-made in the best possible way.

“I know, it’s nothing against my brother’s car but it’s close to the kitchen and the bathroom so I think that is a plus,” she said, smirking and something fluttered in Elsa’s stomach and she was mesmerized by brown eyes again as Maren talked on.

Elsa tried, **really** tried to listen but Maren’s lips moved in such a way that she had to use all her focus to **look** like she was listening.

And now Maren rubbed her neck in this adorable way of hers…..

“….so anyway, I really hope I was not overdoing it.”

_‘What did she say? Overdoing it? Are we talking about my libido here? OOHHH damn it! I barely heard a word she said…….I am so not going to make it through the rest of my time here without making a complete fool out of myself, aren’t I? ‘_

“Thanks, this really kind of you.” She managed to choke out, hoping with all her might that this was a somewhat coherent answer of whatever Maren had been talking about.

And Elsa seemed in luck, for Maren's smiled widened even more and it was as bright as the sunrise.

_‘......I am so doomed….’_

But surprisingly, as Elsa sat down, with pencil and drawing pad in hand, it took only moments for her to calm down, lulled in by the sounds that came out of the workshop again, as Maren resumed her work and as soon as the pencil touched the paper, it was like time did not exist anymore, as her hand moved on its own accord, idea after idea filling her head and finding their way into the world with an ease that Elsa had lacked for months.

“Hey, sorry to interrupt but if we want to get to my parents in time we should get going.” Maren spoke carefully, quietly, like she tried to wake someone out of deep sleep, yet Elsa jumped a little as she looked up. The other woman was already wearing clean clothes and hair was still a little wet from the shower she obviously had taken.

“Sorry!” Maren said, and an apoplectic smile on her face.

“It’s fine, really! I just …well, I…”

“ – tend to forget everything around you when you get in the zone? Don’t worry I get it, I am like you when start tinkering on something.” she admitted, while leading her to the already prepared cart, Vakker patiently waiting for them.

_‘So, she took a shower and harnessed Vakker without me noticing it? Wow….it really has been too long since drawing gripped me like this…..makes me question my life choices.’_

She quickly headed inside, putting away pencil and drawing pad, and joined Maren outside again.

“One question: When you are like me when you work, how is it then that we are now on our way to your parents, and that right on time?” Elsa asked as she gave the reindeer a friendly pat as she passed her by, and climbed on the cart.

Maren followed her, taking the reins, leaning a little closer to her, lowering in her voice like she was a great master of her craft, about to share a secret to her worthy pupil.

“I have alarms on my phone for exciting stuff like taking a break, lunch, and go to bed. Or, on this special day, a friendly reminder, that my mother will be very..... let's call it unhappy with me if we are late.”

“I see, you choose the boring way to control your madness,” Elsa said, surprised about herself at her attempt to be witty, and even more surprised that she made Maren laugh.

“I guess so!” she simply said, giving Vakker a sign, and on they went, back to Maren’s parents.

Mrs. Nattura waited for them outside, greeting Elsa warmly before turning to her daughter.

“Are you staying too, my sweet?”

_‘Damn, her parents really have the cutest nicknames.’_

“No, I meet Fara soon. She already got most of the stuff I need.”

“Already?” Mrs. Nattura seemed very impressed.

“What can I say, she is the best!”

“True, but come for dinner, yes? Ryder and Issun will be there too and your father is making your favorite!”

“I have to pick up Elsa anyway, so sure! See you later then.”

A whistle was enough for Vakker and soon the cart, the reindeer, and the young woman vanished around the next turn of the road.

It was a weird feeling, to see Maren go and Elsa tried not to think too much of what Anna would have said if she could read her thoughts right now…..

“Who is Issun?” Elsa asked, more to distract herself than really wanting to know as she followed Mrs. Nattura inside.

“He is Ryder’s fiancé, such a sweet young man. You will love him I am sure. Everyone does.”

She said it like it was the most normal thing in the world….well, it was normal, Elsa knew that but….in Arendelle, even though same-sex marriage has been legalized after the monarchy was removed, it still was stigmatized, even frowned upon and most couples kept a low profile.

Her face must have betrayed her thoughts, for Mrs. Nattura said: “Ah right! I heard about that. Is being gay still such a big deal in Arendelle?”

“It…has gotten better…but it’s still not something you would just casually mention like that.”

“Ah I see…well don’t you worry about a thing here, dear. Just be who you are!” she said and stepped into the house.

Those words made Elsa stop dead in her tracks!

_‘Oh……’_

There was so much easy acceptance in the older woman’s voice that Elsa could not breathe for a moment, not caring how Skjolda had guessed her …..orientation or even if she it meant that way at all!

It was something she did not know she needed to hear before she had heard it and the desperate wish to hear those words from her family tighten her throat.

‘ _Well, it’s not like I gave them much opportunity to do that…….another thing I have to change when I get home.’_

She followed Mrs. Nattura back into the house and like the day before there were coffee and food waiting for her.

After gratefully accepting a steaming cup the Mrs.Nattura smiled at her, tilting her head a little.

“Well, ready for another roller-coaster ride of emotions? It’s going to get bittersweet again I am afraid.”

“As ready as I will ever be,” Elsa said.

Mrs. Nattura had not been exaggerating as she said the next hours were going to be bittersweet.

As she learned more and more of her lost family, discovering more similarities in interests - like Keval, her grandfather, seemed to love books just as much as she did and Yesti, her other grandfather, could draw so well it almost looked like the real thing! He had a handwritten cookbook, full of traditional recipes he would illustrate himself. But it was lost as their house was burned down and Elsa felt an almost painful squeeze at her heart as she was reminded of how much had been lost, thanks to flames and burning hate!

“And this is –“ Mrs. Nattura said, offering Elsa a very old looking picture, that looked like it had been through a lot. It was a little dirty and even burned at the sides.

“- is your grandmother. Ravana Stolk, the greatest historian we ever had. She was one of the first Dam …..took from us.”

Elsa carefully took the picture, as if it not to harm it further, looking at it, her eyes widening.

It was like looking in the mirror only not to find herself exactly shown in it but a slight changes- an older version of herself that screamed confidence and resolve, an air of strength around her that was almost intimidating.

Ravana was dressed in what looked like a traditional Northuldra tunic, wearing it proudly and Elsa instinctively knew that this woman and the much more outspoken and fierce Anna would have gotten along swimmingly, for both had this determent streak around there jawline.

“She always had wanted a child, as I have been told, but never found the right partner, but she had always been good friends with Yesti and Keval and as she heard that the two desperately wanted children as well it was ‘the perfect fit’ she always would call it!” Mrs. Nattura said, eyes a little far away as she remembered her childhood.

“Where they ….well, were they all together? Like in a romantic way?”

Elsa felt heat rise into her cheeks, but her question came not from a place of judgment, just curiosity at how her mother had grown up.

Mrs. Nattura seemed to understand.

“No, Keval only…..provided what was necessary, without any physical contact between the two.

The rest was all Ravana. A fact she would be embarrassingly proud of whenever I or other friends of your mother were over and she was there too……sparing us details of course. Yesti would scold her so much for it!” she laughed and Elsa joined herself with a slight chuckle.

“She was a very…..strong character. Fearless, even a little reckless sometimes but always kind to your mother and me, teaching us all she knew, which was a lot! She could sing a hundred of our songs by memory and tell all the stories in the most exciting manner, even those we already had heard to death. She was a good woman….it is such a shame what had happened to her.”

Elsa looked at the picture, carefully touching its surface like she wanted to touch the face that could be seen on it, somehow gaining a connection through time and space.

“What did happen to her?”

Mrs. Nattura looked very sad all of the sudden, a pain in her eyes as she examined Elsa carefully like she was trying to estimate if the young woman before her was ready for the truth, and suddenly Elsa was a little scared of what the other was going to say!

“People and their families who spoke openly against Dam would just vanish in the beginning, taken from their homes by night, straight out their beds. We tried to find where they kept them, still hoping we would find them alive but as shortly after we were able to beat Dam we found many..... mass graves in the woods. Hundreds have been buried there. It will take us years to identify them all but I am afraid that Ravana lies there, together with countless other poor souls…such a waste!”

That stung!

What a terrible end, being dragged into the woods, coldly executed, buried under the soil of your home where your loved ones probably never will find you, alone, scared.

It was a nightmare and Elsa had to blink rapidly to fight the tears back yet again.

She wanted to return the picture but Mrs. Nattura did not accept it back, smiling at her, brown eyes suspiciously shimmering.

“Keep it. Take it home with you. This one too!” she said, quickly taking the picture Mrs. Nattura had shown her yesterday, where her mother stood among her kin, and placing it in her hand as well.

“Give them your mother. They are hers to being with anyway.”

It was a good thing that, like on cue, someone knocked on the door, and as Mrs. Nattura, who had gone to check who it was, came back with Ryder and his fiancé Issun, who Elsa indeed loved very much right from the get-go.

He was a sweet, almost shy man, with a lovely sense of humor, who loved Ryder with such an obvious tenderness that seemed only matched by the devotion Elsa could see in the guy’s eyes that had smashed a monster truck right into her car.

It was adorable!

As Mr. Nattura arrived half an hour later, Elsa had to almost forcefully fight for the right to be allowed to help with setting the table. The Nattura’s were such a cute bunch and that she almost could ignore how much missed her family, vowing to call them all tomorrow.

Maren came right at that moment as Mr. Nattura announced that dinner was ready. The father making a dry remark that his daughter could smell food ten miles against the wind as Maren teasingly stole some of the bred, Mr. Nattura had prepared together with something that looked like backed sorrel leaves, filled with nuts and a sauce that was made out of herbs, freshly picked from the forest surrounding the house.

Elsa learned that this dish was called nut-pockets and Elsa, after taking the first bite, immediately understood why this was one of Maren's favorites.

_'Gods, the food here! I have to learn some of these_ _recipes!'_

The late evening turned into night and soon Elsa found herself in the same position of yesterday, driving back to Maren’s home in the dark, the only difference was that the moon shined a bit brighter today perhaps.

“So, what did my mother show you today?” Maren asked, an understanding look on her face, that told Elsa that it would be fine not to share if it was so personal but for once Elsa did not found the need to withdraw.

“She showed me a picture of my grandmother,” Elsa said, even going as far as to get the picture, offering it for the other.

“Ah yes, Ravana right? You should have seen my mother as she found this one in the burned ruins of Ravana's old home! She was so happy.”

“I can imagine. I must say having a wily grandmother like that explains a lot!"

"Really? What exactly?"

"How my sister Anna turned out the way she did.”

Elsa joked, managing to make Maren laugh yet again and she needed a moment before she could speak again.

“Mmmmh, I don't know. I would say she got from your mother.”

That sounded weird to Elsa. Her mother, the confident doctor who all children loved to go to, even if a syringe had to be used, the picture of patience and calmness as she handled even the direst of emergencies that came crashing into the hospital she worked at, was impressive, no doubt! But it was not the wild and free nature her grandmother seemed to have possessed and that partly shined through in Anna now. 

And yet again, her expression must have betrayed her, for Maren looked at her only once before stopping the cart.

“Don’t believe me? I'll prove it. This way-“ she pointed behind Elsa, and as she turned she found an almost invisible path, nearly overgrown by the trees that surrounded it, barley big enough for the cart and with a slightly mysterious air around it: “- I can show you something that will tell you more about your mother than a thousand pictures and stories ever could! Or we drive home and forget about this little adventure. So, what will it be, Elsa?”

Was it just her or was there just the slightest hint of ….more in Maren’s voice as she spoke the last words?

 _‘Probably just wishful thinking._ ’ Elsa thought yet her heart almost jumped out of her throat as she considered throwing caution into the wind and running with that woman into the woods, not caring of possible consequences. Not to mention that finding out more about her mother was really tempting.

And for what seemed the first time in her life she chooses with her heart and not with her head.

“Show me!”

Maren smiled that smile of hers, before whistling, leading Vakker and the cart off the main road and into the forest.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You made it! Hope you had fun. Next up is probably a new chapter for 'Home' but if inspiration hits me for this story...well, you know the drill.
> 
> Stay safe and healthy! Till next time!


	7. Glimpse Of Bygone Bravery

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Elsa follows Maren into the woods and discovers a secret!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this time cheese first! But now 'Home' is getting the treatment it deserves! Promise :-)  
> Have fun with the new chapter, take care and stay safe!

The little Elsa had seen of the large forest, that covered most of Northuldra, had already been a sight to behold and this seemed to be even more the case at night!

There were no words.

_‘This forest is beautiful!’_

How could she describe the soft moonlight that shined through the roof over their heads, build by nature out of branches and leaves, leaving a pattern along the way, easy to follow and hard not to be mesmerized by it?

There was no way she would find the right words…..maybe her father could.

He never would admit it but he loved poetry of all kind, and as she remembered that one time she had dug through his extensive personal library for another book to read as she found many drafts of poems, all written clearly with her mother in mind all of them quite skillfully done but so sappy that no one could blame a twelve-year-old Elsa that she, after reading some of them and putting them carefully away again, had to fight off a mad fit of giggles whenever she saw her father after that.

And that for quite some time!

She could still see his partly amused, partly annoyed expression whenever the family would sit at the dinner table, swearing it was only something funny that had happened at school that day or she had read.  
She never did tell Anna, for the blabbermouth could have never kept that secret and the last thing she had wanted was for her father to feel embarrassed, that he tried to put his feelings for the woman he had committed his life to, into words!

It was a sweet gesture that Elsa could understand even more so now, as she sat next to Maren, her beauty only heightened by this dream of scenery and suddenly Elsa wanted to do something very stupid to impress her. And writing a more than sappy poem did not sound like a bad idea all of a sudden.  
Granted, her poem would be much more …suggestive, for Elsa’s thoughts were, again, not leaning forward to…..well, romance in general, more too….

_‘Gods! I am lucky the moon is not bright enough to see how red my face is right now! Get a grip, Elsa._   
_What is she to you! A cookie you can stuff your face with?!’_

That was such so ambiguous thing to think that it surprised herself, and quickly she checked with a little side glance if the smaller woman had somehow heard her more than lewd thought.  
Maren caught Elsa looking at her, smiling, before realizing that Elsa sat there all stiff and uptight and obviously that wonderful, caring marble of a woman misinterpreted Elsa’s body language - thinking that she was uncomfortable instead of madly turned on, desperately trying to hold the gay at bay.

“You know, we don’t have to go if you don’t want to! I t was just an idea….I really thought-“

“No, no it’s fine! I like to see what you want to show me! I just thought about something really stupid.”

Even in the dim moonlight, Elsa could see how Maren’s face light up, her smile so dazzling that she almost missed what she said next.

“What were you thinking about?”

_‘Oh crap!’_

It was not prying, she only wanted to make conversation, Elsa knew and there was no way that Maren could have guessed in what turmoil she had pushed her in.

_‘Be grateful that she cannot look into your head and see what a mess you are! Quick, say anything!’_

“I was thinking that if you were a serial killer you could easily get rid of my body here.”

 _‘Anything but that!’_ she thought mentally face-palming herself.

Yet to her immense relief Maren laughed lightly, giving Elsa a gentle shove with her strong shoulder, nearly tipping her of the cart.

“You are hilarious!” the smaller woman said.

“I am what?” Elsa could barely believe her ears. No one ever had said that about her.

Maren blinked at her, her smile faltering only a moment like she was surprised by the question before it returned fully.

“Hilarious, funny, a joy to talk to. Take your pick!”

That was so hard for Elsa to believe, that she had to make sure the other meant her words.

“You really think that? That I am funny?”

“Yes.”

She sounded sincere, honest and as she looked into her eyes she could find no lie.

“You have a weird sense of humor,” Elsa said.

_‘Hello! Filter? Are you even there anymore???!!! Just stop talking, you absolute buffoon!!’_

But Maren held her gaze, brown eyes studying her carefully, beautiful lips smiling yet with a slightly unhappy tint to it.

_‘Great! Just fantastic Elsa! Now you made her mad, she will turn around, throw you out of the house, tell everyone what an idiot you are and then-‘_

“Is it always so hard to give you a compliment?”

 _‘Yes.’_ was the instinctive answer, already opening her mouth to say just that, only to stop herself at the last second, suddenly not wanting to let Maren see this side of herself, the side that so easily got hurt and she did not like one bit.

So she instead of answering she said: “What makes you say that?”

Elsa already felt how her old defensiveness came rising back up, the one that gave her the nickname ice-queen in school, and she took a deep breath to push that side of her down again while it stubbornly held onto the rims of her heart, putting her on edge on what Maren would say next.

“Well, I just said you are fun to talk to and your answer was to insult my sense of humor.“

Elsa looked at her curiously; finding no accusation in Maren’s words as she easily melted her defenses away while stating a simple fact, only patience and understanding were reflected in these brown eyes, gleaming there like embers of low burning, steady fire, its warmth already drawing Elsa in like the moth that could not help but fly to close to the flame.

 _‘Careful or you burn yourself…..’_ she thought and the faint fear of a broken heart or the sheer horror of her family finding out she was….. interested in women, nearly overwhelmed her.

But as she held the gaze a moment longer than probably appropriate, she got the feeling that she was already in too deep to turn back now.

“What should I say instead?”

“How about something along the line: ‘Thanks, Maren! That is so nice of you. You are also so much fun to talk to’.”

“Thanks, Maren, that is so nice of you. You are also so much fun to talk to.”

Maren chuckled again.

“See!” Maren said after calming down: “Funny.”

And as Elsa opened her mouth to respond, Maren quickly held up her hand, as if forbidding her to speak.

“No, just accept when someone says something nice about you!” she said, her eyes full of mischievousness as she threatened her: “Careful what you say now!”

Elsa felt softness in her chest, such a different feeling than what she usually experienced with Maren around, more calm, deep gratitude perhaps, and not the raging sea of hormones rushing through her veins. How was it possible that she could feel so much in such a short amount of time?

_‘Interesting.’_

“Thank you.” She said out loud, hoping Maren noticed how much she really meant it.

It certainly looked like it!

The childish pride as Maren gloated in her success, so proud that she got Elsa to accept her compliment, made the blond fight down the laugh that bubbled up in her chest.

 _‘By the gods! She is such a dork!’_ Elsa realized as she discreetly pressed her hand on her mouth to hide her efforts in keeping her laughter at bay.

“But where are you taking me?”

“I can’t explain it! It would only ruin the surprise. Can’t wait until you see it!! You will love it!!!” she said, her voice still even but Elsa could hear the excitement hidden under layers of well-practiced restrain.

 _‘She is a colossal dork!’_ Elsa thought and the softness came back, a wave of fondness that had nothing to do with the attraction she felt for the other, something that made her hope for….

 _‘Ok, Elsa! Stop being such a cliché lesbian! Way to jump ahead of yourself! Just relax….and talk to her…don’t act like a complete fool while you at it and survive the rest of the night without making her think you are totally bonkers. That should be enough for now! Gods, Anna is right! I am so bad at that.’_ she thought remembering the very embarrassing incident as Anna had tried to set her up with a very nice and very unfortunate young man, whose name she could not remember for the life of her, that had ended with him angrily walking out, his white shirt stained and Anna’s mouth hanging open in disbelief as he passed her by, before turning her gaze to Elsa, starting a rant of how it could have been possible scared of the nicest guy in the world.

Elsa had no clue what exactly had happened as she stumbled over herself to meet everyone’s acceptations yet again, what she did to offend what’s-his-name so much that he never spoke to her again, but she really hoped that she would not repeat that mistake with Maren.

_‘Just enjoy the here and now and-‘_

“Alright, from here on out we have to ride on Vakker. We have to leave the path and it is too narrow for the cart.”

“What?”

But before she could say more, Maren had taken her hand, making her nearly forget that she had just decided to be careful a moment ago as she was pulled gently to the front of the cart, where the other woman let go of her hand, swiftly freed Vakker of the rains that held her in place before mounting the big animal in one smooth motion, pulling Elsa up too, like it was nothing only stopping as Elsa sat somewhat awkwardly behind the other woman, trying not to touch Maren in any way, already foreseeing the effect it would have on her.

Turning slightly so she could see Elsa out of the corner of eye Maren said cheekily: “I am probably guessing correctly if I assume you never sat on a reindeer?”

“You assume correctly!” Elsa confirmed, feeling more than a little out of her depth even if she had some riding lessons as a kid. She had not been bad at it or anything but it certainly had been a while since she sat on top of a mount.

“Don’t worry. Vakker never lets anyone fall of her back. Follow her movements and trust her. Here-“ Maren said as her hands reached back, gripping Elsa’s wrists, pulling her forward so her front was touching Maren’s back, her pale hands meeting against the brunette's stomach: “ – hold on tight!”

Elsa had been more than correct with her guess, the effect of touching Maren in that way was immense, her brain literally malfunctioning for a moment, before starting again, her thoughts like a popping exhaust of an ancient car.

_‘BACK...... MUSCLES.....STOMACH….. MUSCLES!!!!’_

But Elsa was not only right but also lucky as an unaccepted ally came to her aid – the forest.

It took only a moment, as the two women left the small path, the last, feeble sign of modern civilization behind that Elsa found herself mesmerized by the wild splendor the moonlight allowed her to see.

It was quiet under the trees, the thick leaves hindering the wind to carry noises too far, yet as Elsa listened closely, she was able to make out the soft rustling of tiny paws as a shrew with a whole bunch of her babes clinging to her tail, forming a long line behind her appeared right on their path in a patch of moonlight, frozen to the spot as a huge black monster moved right towards them.

But Vakker, true to her friendly character, elegantly avoided the tiny family and Elsa turned around just in time to see how mother shrew, quickly lead her children back into the undergrowth.

And not a moment too soon, as a barn owl appeared, silent like a shadow, her huge black eyes in the white-feathered, heart-shaped face, illuminated by the light of the moon giving it an almost ghostly appearance.  
The beautiful bird seemed very interested in them, unblinkingly starring down, meeting Elsa’s gaze, while gliding above, following them for quite some time before losing interest, vanishing with a soundless flap of its wings.

Vakker’s next steps lead them through a small clearing, and it was like opening her eyes for the first time.  
As they passed through the high grass, they disturbed a few grasshoppers and some moths swung themselves into the air, the later quickly hiding again for a little higher above them a small flog of bats was on the hunt, their high pitched screams tickling Elsa’s eardrums, as she saw them flying at neck-breaking speed, changing direction in the split of a second, like black little bolts against the breathtaking background the moon and stars provided.  
Never in her life had Elsa seen so many wild animals in their natural habitat, and she was sad as Vakker reached the end of the clearing, stepping under the tree line, as straight ahead as one could go in a forest to wherever Maren wanted to take her.

Elsa lost her sense of time, the almost magical beauty that surrounded her made it impossible for her to tell how many of it had passed, so after what could have been an hour or mere minutes it was almost a rude wakeup call as Maren gave Vakker a low whistle and sturdy animal came to halt.  
After dismounting her reindeer Maren turned directly back to Elsa, and the blonde was surprised for a second as Maren seemed to brace herself like she wanted to catch something?

It was a good thing and more than kind and foresighted gesture, as Elsa had to discover a moment later.

Her legs, stiff from the unfamiliar use of her muscles, gave out as soon they touched the ground and she would have fallen flat on her face if Maren had not been there stopping her fall and it Elsa felt almost guilty how shamelessly she enjoyed the way Maren had to steady her for her first few steps.

“…sorry!” she mumbled.

“Don’t worry about it! You should have seen me after I had my first real riding lesson. My dad had to carry me back into the house.”

“Really? How old were you?” Elsa asked, imagining a younger Maren, stubbornly refusing to listen to her father.

“Four - old enough to learn how to ride but too young to really listen to my father that riding a reindeer alone for a longer amount of time is different than just goofing around while waiting on the parking lot of a supermarket. I couldn’t walk for two days.”

Elsa let out a laugh that quickly turned into a wince as she took her next step, clinging a little tighter to Maren.

“I hope I am not immobile for two days.” Elsa said between clenched teeth, as her sore legs slowly obeyed her command again, with each step a little more.

“Na, don’t worry! You look pretty fit so I think you are fine. See?” and with that Maren let go of her and even though they were still a little shaky, Elsa’s legs did their job and the blond was able to follow Maren on her own, up a little hill, overgrown with thick bushes.  
It was touching how Maren stayed close to her right she could catch her if she stumbled, while Vakker trotted along at her other side, so Elsa could hold on to the reindeer if a potential fall took a turn to the left.

But they got to the top of the hill without a hitch, and Vakker seemed to know that they reached their destination. Without skipping a beat she easily found the way through the bushes, laying down as she reached certain point, vanishing out of Elsa’s sight completely.  
Elsa stayed close to Maren, following her through the green maze, going on her knees as Maren did, only to find herself very comfortable sheltered by the leaves above her, yet there was an open space that made it possible to look ahead, and in a small distance, Elsa could see a beautiful lake, the singing of frogs and the chirping of the crickets faintly reaching her ears.

Maren already sat on the ground, leaning her back against Vakker and Elsa followed her example, sitting close to the reindeer's head and the big animal happily grunted shifting closer, her big brown eyes begging Elsa for a good scratch.  
It was hard to deny these eyes anything and so Elsa obliged, and Vakker let out a happy rumble as she closed her eyes, slowly starting to breathe deeper and slower, falling asleep in mere moments.

“By the spirits! Vakker likes most people but she **loves** you!” Maren said, and Elsa could hear the smile in her voice, yet she kept her eyes on the reindeer, scratching the top of her head, a little smile of her own on her lips.

“It’s ok. I really like her too!”

“Well, that is good for she never will leave you in peace again.”

At that Elsa turned, finding indeed that Maren smiled at her, another pair of brown eyes that made it hard to deny the owner anything, gleaming meeting her eyes and Elsa had to swallow, her throat suddenly very dry.

“So, I assume we are where we supposed to be so – what is it that you wanted to show me?”

“Well just let me check if our guest of honor has arrived yet. “ Maren said, reaching for her belt, unfasten something that had been hidden by her loose, black shirt.

It was a very small telescope, and Maren held to her right eye, closing her left eye, peeking through the open space in front of them obviously scanning the lake ahead.  
Elsa could say why but this action, made Maren look so…. young, almost like a child and the sudden vision of a young girl with dark hair, playing pirate, sailing with her brother to foreign shores and relieving rich people of their gold, made something bittersweet rise in her chest.  
Maren had been closed off from the world all her life, forced to fight a battle she never wanted, and yet she managed to be so kind.  
It was not only Northuldra’s nature that was mesmerizing.

“Ah, we are lucky! The moon shines quite bright and the lake reflects it even more so we will be able to spot her right away but….ah, I think she had not made it here yet. You have to be patient a while longer.”

"She?”

“Yes, she,” Maren answered shortly, putting away the telescope again, folding her arms over her chest and Elsa lost her ability to speak only for a moment, as her gaze fell on the muscular lines of Maren’s lower arms.

 _‘I am making progress here!’_ Elsa thought, actually proud of herself before saying.

“You are not going to tell me more are you?”

“No.”

“Even when I say please?”

“No.”

“Even when I try to be really annoying.”

_‘Oh wow! Bold, Elsa!’_

Maren chuckled at that.

“No,” she said, her look on her face that made Elsa feel very warm all of the sudden.

“I doubt that you could be annoying even if you tried.”

Maren did not avert her gaze, intense in a way Elsa feared and wanted, and suddenly the gravity of what was happening hit the blond like a sledgehammer swung by a giant – there were alone, in a very secluded area, hidden away, a crystal clear offer in those brown eyes, excitement shining in them in way Elsa had seen already.  
It was the same expression Maren had only a day ago, caused by the safe word disaster at the house of the brunette’s parents and finally Elsa understood what was happening – this woman was flirting with her!

‘……………………………………………’

Her mind offered nothing for a moment, blank, empty until it finally clicked.

_‘This is not one-sided. It is not only me. She feels something. Granted, she is much, much smoother about it than I’ll ever be, but the point still stands – she is intrigued too.’_

It was the weirdest thing; the strangest feeling that rose in her, no nervousness, no uncertainty but careful confidence that made Elsa hold the gaze of the other, before giving the brunette a tiny smile, her answer to the offer that was made and even Elsa could tell that Maren had gotten the message! But the ball was in Elsa’s field now.

As her brain feverishly thought for something to say, an almost shy ‘shuho’ right above them made both women jump, Maren’s arm shooting out, instinctively pushing Elsa a little more into Vakker, pressing the air out of her as the brunette, already half risen to her feed, moved slightly in front of Elsa, so she could shield her from whatever had sneaked upon them, before stopping in the middle of the movement, a look of utter bewilderment on her face.

Elsa followed Maren’s gaze only to find the same two black orbs resting in a heart-shaped face starring back at her, which had already watched her from above on their ride here.

The barn owl turned her head in a way only an owl could, blinking with one eye, before flying off again, granting Elsa a short look on its back this time and one glance was enough to make the blonde's finger twitch, eager for pen and paper.

Never had she seen such a peculiar pattern on any bird, for the darker feathers of its back almost looked like a huge maple leave, like the ones she had love to collect with Anna in the park in front of the hospital their mother still worked to this day, when they had to wait for her from time to time until her shift had ended, the kind head nurse Gerda always had someone to keep an eye on them while they played.

“Spirits! If you are not turning into quite the celebrity around here.” Maren said, turning back to her, smiling wildly: “Even old girl Gale comes to see you!”

“Gale?” Elsa asked, her eyes still fixated on the spot where the bird had been a moment ago.

“The owl.”

“The owl has a name?”

“Yes.”

Of course! In the magical wonderland that was her mother’s homeland, a random owl in the woods had a name.

_‘Sure! Why not..’_

Elsa wanted to ask Maren why exactly this specific owl was named and not all the others as she Maren suddenly pulled her forward, closer to the gap in the green in front of them, quickly signaling her to be quite as she nearly pocked Elsa’s eyes out as Maren passed the telescope, excitedly pointing ahead to the lake where Elsa was supposed to look, and there she could make out something swimming in the lake - no walking through the water, something big, a-

“A horse?” Elsa spoke, realizing her mistake too late and both women froze to the spot, as the horse clearly had picked up something, stood still as well, listening intently and Elsa had the feeling that it was looking in their direction. But then out of nowhere Gale appeared, flying low, nearly touching the horse and it flinched back a little, before it calmed down again, clearly thinking that the sound was caused by the owl, pushing on heading right for the bank.  
Both women let out a sigh of relief.

Elsa’s gaze followed Gale until she landed gracefully on a branch, looking in her direction??

_‘Impossible’_

Yet it certainly looked like it…..was the bird winking at her??

“Phew, that was close…” Maren whispered, making Elsa jump slightly.

“Sorry,” she said very quietly to Maren.

The brunette smiled at her, waving her hand easily.

“It’s fine. But here she is! Nokk, the matriarch of the wild horses of Northuldra.”

Elsa was not really sure what to make of this. Sure, this horse was a beauty and the nature that surrounded Elsa right now made her feel so alive and free like she had felt in ages but where exactly was the connection to her mother?

She must have looked as confused as she felt, for Maren only pointed back to the horse in the lake, smiling as she whispered: “Take a closer look. Can you tell the breed?”

Elsa looked through the telescope, finding the horse again that had reached the bank of the lake, elegantly climbing out of the water and it took Elsa only a moment to answer Maren’s question.

“An Arendelle?”

Thanks to her wealthy upbringing, Elsa had spent a lot of time around this particular kind of horse, for all the high and mighty in her homeland loved them, for their beauty, strength, speed and for the fortune they cost.

To possess one showed the world your wealth and status just as much as any crown would have done – her grandfather owned six.

And of course, the name-giver had just as big of an ego as her grandfather had as he named his company.  
One of the many boring traditions of Runeard Arendelle to maintain good business relations was going for a ride on his extravagant huge property with of course the most expensive animals you could dream of!

_‘Good day, I am Runeard Arendelle, of Arednelle. It is an honor that you decided to do business with…you guessed it - Arendelle! Why not take a ride on these Arendelle horses so I could pamper your rich, haughty ass some more! - bullshit!’_

“Good eye! ” she heard Maren’s compliment quietly, close to her ear, and suddenly it was hard to breathe as Maren leaned in, her face close to Elsa’s as she flowed the blonde's gaze, while she still looked through the telescope. With a gentle push of her hand against Elsa’s, Maren guided where Elsa should look.

“See the roof among the trees? That is the old summer residence of some of the biggest assholes you could ever find - all higher-ups of Dam. I spare you the details for now but you must know this - back then all that came from the outside was bad. Music, books, food, clothes – all bad! But all of our old culture was bad too. Only what Dam wanted us to hear, to eat, to read was somewhat safe.”

“Safe?”

“Let’s just say that more than one of us that vanished forever just because he or she had been found with something Dam did not approve of.”

Even in the dark Elsa could see the grim glint in Maren’s eyes, and suddenly she was very happy she was not on this woman’s bad side and quickly made a mental note to never get there.

“But of course these rules did not apply to them. And to humiliate us further, to remind us of how much more powerful and free there were, they got these horses from money others desperately needed, rode around on them at every possibility not even trying to hide it.  
But then, almost 35 years ago two girls came here, in the middle of the night, sneaked through their defenses, and freed six Arendelle horses in total, one foal, which you can see now all grown up, swimming in this lake.”

"They managed to survive all this time?" Elsa asked, pointing at the horse, that played around in the water, clearly enjoying herself.

"Not just that! From them and a few other horses that were freed or had run away the whole population of wild horses that live here now, descended from them. They made Northuldra their home, not harming anybody, just living free and peaceful among everyone else now. Thanks to two brave girls."

“What a story...." Elsa said quietly, before suddenly remembering why they were here in the first place: "-but what has this to do with my mother?”

Maren raised an eyebrow at her, a look on her face that told Elsa that she should already have guessed….that….

“The two girls that freed them…” she said, more to herself, looking through the telescope again, just in time to see how the horse vanished among the trees.

“One was…?”

“Yes, one of them was my mother and the other was Iduna. You are the daughter of a true fighter, Elsa Arendelle.”

Elsa said nothing, searching for the roof among the trees, all fatigue she might had felt before gone in a flash!

“I want to see it! Can we go see it?”

“The estate?”

Elsa nodded eagerly, making Maren smile.

“Of course. Maybe next Saturday we could – “

“No, I want to go now!”

“Now?”

“Yes!”

“But-“

“Please!”

Maren only hesitated for a second, smiling understanding her need to see more.

“Of course.” She said simply, turning to Vakker, gently waking her up.

In mere moments Elsa had resumed her position behind Maren, this time laying her hands around the other without thinking, holding on tight as they rode on through the woods, barely able to contemplate what she was feeling as they got closer and closer to the place where her mother had once proved her bravery.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you liked it, thanks for reading and all your past and present support! You guys are the best!


	8. A Brave Step Forward

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Elsa and Maren ride further into the woods!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Have fun guys!

They rode through the night, deeper and deeper into the woods and even though it must have been very late, there was no place for fatigue in Elsa.  
She was wide awake, almost giddy, and she felt like a kid again, looking back to a carefree time where Anna would wake her in the middle of the night, two small girls sneaking out in the garden, playing quietly in the fresh snow, a tiny Olaf at their heals, building snowman after snowman for the kitten to judge until the sunrise surprised them…..or their parents, whatever came first.  
A giggle bubbled in her chest as she remembered and as Mare asked what had her laughing as she shared freely her childhood memory, relishing how easily it came to her to be so open to Maren.

“Sounds like me and Ryder going for night races with the reindeer. But who is Olaf? I thought you only had a sister.”

“Oh, he is our family cat,” Elsa said, chiding herself a little that she had not explained sooner but then she noticed how tense Maren’s shoulders suddenly were.

“So, you have a cat?”

Was Maren’s voice a little tight, a bit shaky even? Or was Elsa just imagining things?

“Not exactly. He lives with my parents now. They have the most beautiful garden and the old guy loves to lay outside in the sun and sleep the day away.” Elsa said, feeling how Maren’s slightly tense back relax again, wondering what had caused the reaction.

‘Odd.’

But Maren’s voice reached her ears, interrupting her thoughts.

“Sounds like you were a little trouble maker.”  
There was it again, this clear offer in the other woman’s voice.

‘Bye wired tense reaction and tight voice and hello shameless flirt! Nice that you’re are back!’ Elsa thought, this fluttery feeling in her stomach returning and finally she started to grasp what Anna had meant when she had gushed about any boy that had taken her fancy at that time.

“Not really. I mostly had to run after Anna and get her out of trouble.”

“Ah, I get that. But I must admit that I pulled Ryder down with me most of the time.” Maren told her, trying to look guilty, but utterly failing at that.

“So, you were the little trouble maker then?”

“Guilty as charged,” Maren said, her voice slightly lower, turning her head a little and gave Elsa a look, that told the blond that she was in plenty of trouble, if she wanted too.

 _‘Fuck, do I want to be in trouble!’_ she realized, her heart beating fast as she met the gaze of those brown eyes for a second, before Maren turned around again, focusing on the way ahead.

They arrived at the estate shortly after and Elsa marveled at the height of the walls surrounding it as Maren unlocked the gate for them, leading Vakker inside before helping Elsa down again, her legs unusable for few moments. As Maren slowly helped her to walk again, fighting the heat that rose up in her, Gale flew close over their heads, silent like a shadow, before vanishing into the night again.

 _‘Out of sight but not gone.’_ Elsa mused about her new stalker, before finding her footing again, following Maren who had walked away from the huge main door, leading her to the west side of the complex.

As they turned around the corner Elsa led her hand wander over the surface of the house, gazing up at it. Thanks to the moonlight she could see quite well and was more than a little surprised in what a remarkable good condition the building was.

“Maren, is someone living here? It all looks so well kept.”

“Well, I am not living here but I have been renovating it. “

“Alone?” Elsa asked, looking at the huge building as if to check if it was really that big.

“Ah, well yes but the damage was not that big, to begin with, so it was more of a cleaning effort and I had help for that sometimes. The work on the carvings takes longer though, and so far I am the only one with the right skill set to repair them. In the North that is.”

Elsa already opened her mouth to ask what she meant by that, but the sad glint in Maren's eyes stopped her. Something told Elsa that this topic was a touchy one.

 _'Maybe another time.'_ she decided before asking: 

“Carvings?”

“Yes, pretty old tradition! Remember the ones on my cart? I made toughs ages ago, as practice, but there are much larger ones, telling you the history of the Northuldra or a folks tale when you know how to read them that is.  
So of course the elite of Dam took them and used them to decorate their homes, or forced our best craftsmen at gunpoint to make new ones. But-” Maren stopped herself, something almost sad in her eyes: “– this is a story for another time. I wanted to show you the place of one of our greatest victories after all and not spoil the mood!” she said, pointing a little further ahead and there they were – the stables.  
They looked like every other stable Elsa had seen, nothing special if somewhat larger than most she knew.

“See there? “ Maren pointed a little left, where a tall tree grew relatively close to the wall.

“Your mother climbed up, bound some sheets, she had knotted together on one of the branches, threw the sheets over the wall and jumped on it – very impressive jump by the way for a girl her age - and then she simply climbed the down at the sheets, opened the stables on rode out through the main gate, a whole herd of horses at her back.“

“But how did she get through the gate? It must have been locked and guarded!”

“Curtesy of my mother. She distracted the guards on the wall, and as they went to check, she quickly sneaked over and opened the gate.”

“How did she……ah, please don’t tell me she is-“

“- very good at lockpicking? Alright, I am no telling you then. But I will tell you that mam still laughs at the guards, she and your mother had tricked with a lockpick and some tied together sheets printed with flowers and reindeers.”

Elsa could only marvel what she heard as she stood there, taking in the scene of a crime – her mother breaking and entering, risking her life to free some horses and the sweet woman, that was her mother’s childhood friend, that tried to teach her all she knew about her family was also a capable burglar…..of course why not, all made perfect sense.

“Want to go inside? I could show you some of the carvings.” Maren asked, pointing at another entrance to the main building close to the stables.

 _‘Probably meant for staff’_ Elsa thought as she tried to her hide her eager expression, her fingers already itching again, screaming for pen and paper.  
And she was not disappointed – the carvings were marvelous, true masterpieces Elsa could tell after her eyes got used to the sudden brightness as Maren pulled the switch at the entrance, their simple beauty standing in sharp contrast to the opulence the rest of the house displayed, with all the rich dark and gold colors reminding her of her grandfather's office, making it very clear where Northuldra ended and Dam started.

“You are keeping it the way Dam build it?”

“Yeah, Yelena wants to preserve it for future generations as a memorial so we never forget and repeat the mistakes of the past. I am with her on that one.”

The hard edge in Maren’s eyes was back, something Elsa did not like to see.

Sure, after all the stories she had been told, the tales of great losses and harsh fates, Elsa could not agree more with Yelena’s plan, but she did not want to dwell on such sad things right now, not when she had seen the place of her mother’s bravery, seen the good it did first hand, had spent a magical night riding through the forest with a woman that mere presence filled her with a longing she did not dare to give a name just yet.

_‘This calls for desperate actions!’_

“Ok, so this little adventure was pretty ok so far-“ Elsa said surprising herself and Maren, how teasing she sounded, but the playful look Maren gave her, was more than encouraging.

“- but if you manage to give me one more life-changing experience this night I will officially mark this night one a tale to tell my hypothetical grandchildren.”

_‘Wow, this was bold! Hop it does not bite me in the ass!’_

“Alright, first of all – only Ok? I take that as a personal insult,” she said but was smiling this brain-melting smile of her hers, eyes gleaming at her, and Elsa’s libido all but strangled any self-conscious thoughts to death.

“And second – I have two. Want both or just one?”

This simple question sounded way hotter than it had any right to be, and Elsa felt rising in her cheeks, but there was no way in hell she could say no to this!  
Yet she could not help but let her old carefulness resurface a tiny bit as she spoke: „Give me one. I decide if I want more afterward.”

Something hot and raw joined the playfulness behind Maren’s eyes and Elsa felt her breath hitch as the brunette closed the distance between them, suddenly so close that Elsa could admire the constellation of freckles on her cheeks.

The smirk was gone, replaced with an attentive expression, as Maren probably tried to guess, if crossing this boundary was what she really wanted, giving Elsa more than one opportunity to step back, and this small gesture made the blonde’s heart almost beat out of her chest.  
Wonderful calloused hands almost shyly reaching up to cradle Elsa’s face in them, their noses brushing, but Maren did not lean in, did not close the gap like Elsa desperately wanted her to.

“Can..I..” Maren started, her breath labored but Elsa did not let her finish.

With a jolt of braveness, she did not know she possessed, she leaned down, touching these full lips with her own.

It was mind-blowing and finally, Elsa understood why everyone made such a fuss about it. She had kissed others before, only men though and not many, but this was all and more others had told her about.

She got lost in the carful movements of Maren’s lips as the brunette gave what could be described as subtle suggestions, while she let the blond set the pace, but soon this felt like not close enough and Elsa let her tongue gently touch the other’s bottom lip, relishing at the shudder that went through Maren, almost whining as the brunette pulled away instead of deepening the kiss, breathing heavily, obviously struggling as she spoke.

“Elsa, we don’t have to…I-“

Elsa almost rolled her eyes at that! Had her actions not spoke loud enough?

_'Well, better spill it out for her!'_

“Look, that is sweet and considered and absolutely wonderful of you-" Elsa said, stepping closer, letting her hands wander over these arms and almost lost the ability to continue:" - but I am a grown-ass woman and I want it! So could we please just do it? “

_‘Holly hell, Elsa! That was an almost cool line there!’_

Maren looked at her for ten whole seconds, mouth slightly open, and for the fracture of a second Elsa thought she might have blown it completely.  
But then-

“Fuuuuuck!” it sounded almost like a desperate growl, then Maren was with her again, finally kissing her as Elsa wanted her too, hot lips and wandering hands quickly turning this into a tale Elsa would never ever, in a million years tell her hypothetical grandchildren.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok, so the next chapter will be the smut part of this, called 'Breathless'.  
> I did separate the chapter like that so anyone who is not into it can just skip that smut - chapter and forget it exists at all :-)  
> The next update will be next week ( If I can manage! Like always - no promises!) and it will be NSFW! You have been warned :-)


	9. Breathless

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They do it! The End.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here is your smut, friends! have fun ;-)

It felt so good!  
Like nothing Elsa had experienced before, as she kissed Maren with a hunger she thought impossible.

The heat in her abdomen only fanned by her wildly beating heart, leaving no room for doubt or second-guessing as she roamed her hands over her companion’s body, admiring its strength and the need of basking in its beauty became stronger as Elsa was able to slip a hand under Maren’s shirt, confirming the hard abs she had suspected to be there, the sharp intake of breath and the quick removal of said shirt, that followed, was a good start indeed!

 _‘Muscles! Hot! Damn it.’_ Was a very helpful contribution from her brain and the blonde was again more than thankful that Maren was not able to read her thoughts.

Elsa was the first to admit that she was little out of her depth here, as she let her hands wander, caressing Maren’s arms yet again and gave her stomach a more thorough inspection, raking her nails across the smooth skin, yet skipping the other’s chest for now.  
Not out of nervousness exactly but more out of the fact that she was not sure how to go about it either.

She had never been with a woman before after all, only two very awkward encounters with equally fumbling men under her belt.

But as she let Maren lean in again, kissing her deeply while gently leading her backward until her legs hit something solid yet soft. sending her nearly tumbling down, an embarrassing fall only prevented by the quick reaction of these wonderful strong arms - she knew her lack of experience would not matter here, a calm trust peeking through her lust-driven thoughts, telling her that nothing she wanted was wrong or awkward.

And how she wanted it! And Now!

But before Elsa could do much more than slip her hands downward, fumbling with Maren’s belt, the other stopped her, placing her pale hands tenderly in her own, slowing the speed at how things proceeded considerably. A sweet gesture, meant to give Elsa ample opportunity to stop, to think twice about what was happening.

“Elsa, I just want to say it, and please don’t interrupt me this time,” she said, her voice low and a humorous glint in her eyes. At least Elsa thought it was there. It became very hard to concentrate on anything else except the way Maren’s lips moved as she spoke.

“Tell me as soon as I do something that you find uncomfortable, ok?”

_‘Oh fuck! Sweet and considerate…….and hot! I am dead.’_

“Ok.” Elsa agreed, aiming in for a kiss again and Maren happily obliged, allowing Elsa’s hands to wander again, already reaching down to unbuckle the belt herself.

 _‘That is so ho …..wait! Oh gosh, Elsa you dumb fuck!!’_ the blonde screamed at herself, breaking the kiss this time, almost stumbling over her next words.

“You too!” she said, biting on her tongue at how stupid that sounded, nearly wincing at the way Maren stopped dead in her tracks, her belt half opened as Elsa quickly hurrying to add: “I mean if I do something that you don’t want….’

Her last words were somewhat breathy, for Maren seemed not to think that what she had said sounded stupid at all – quite the opposite as it seemed.  
She laughed yes, but it sounded slightly tight, like she as choking on it, her eyes now depleted of all playfulness as she almost roughly gripped Elsa’s waist, her fingers squeezing her through her jeans as she pulled her closer, kissing her in such a way that made Elsa wish she had the ability to just melt her clothes away so she could touch more of Maren in an instant, craving the feel of skin on skin.

But she did not possess this ability and so the old-fashioned way had to suffice.

Maren evened the playfield by removing Elsa’s long-sleeved shirt and the brunette let out small sound deep in her throat, nuzzling Elsa’s pale collarbone affectionately, kissing her freckles there with such enthusiasm that it made hard for Elsa to file this obvious fondness of this particular part of her body for future reference– only to nearly lose track, as she stumbled over the implication of her thoughts, nearly falling into the trap of overthinking things again but then Maren’s hands found her bra, lingering on its the clip and that did the trick, bringing her head back in the game.

Brown eyes looked up at her, and Elsa held the gaze, raising one eyebrow.

 _‘What are you waiting for?’_ her mind screamed but instead of yelling at her out loud, which most certainly would not have the desired outcome, she leaned forward, sealing full lips with her own, reaching upward herself, finding the clip of Maren’s own bra, opening it swiftly, helping the shorter woman to get rid of it and then spending the next minutes patting herself mentally on the back – who could have known that being the bold one was **so** rewarding?

Her breasts were perfect. A little more than a hand full, her nipples dark and absolutely mouthwatering – a fucking sight to behold, just like the rest of the woman before her and -

_‘OHHH, gods help me! I am about to get a private tour! **FUCK! Thank you Anna for being too unorganized to get the cheese yourself!** ’_

Elsa mind went haywire, her a hazy thank you to Anna luckily unhearable to the woman before her, her heart beating almost painfully now as Maren reached for her, helping her outrageously fast to get rid of her remaining clothes, before stepping out of her own pants, underwear and shoes in one swift motion - a skill that would have impressed Elsa if she had not been too busy with nearly losing it while Maren gently held her close again, leading her further backward and the soft yet solid thing that Elsa had nearly stumbled over at the start of the hopefully greatest moments of her life, turned out to be a couch, not big but big enough so Elsa could lay on her back dragging Maren on top of her.

Elsa had craved skin on skin contact and now she got it, her whole body on fire and at the sensation of this solid, strong weight hovering over her, and as their chests pressed together, she let out a sound that made her very happy they were alone, far away from anyone that could hear them.

Maren had slowed the pace again, giving both the time to get used to the feel of each other and explore and there was plenty to discover.

For one there was this spot where her jawline met her ear that, when kissed, made the brunette moan in a very pleasurable way. Or how easily a few strokes through the soft hair at the back of her neck could turn Maren into a purring kitten.

But there was also something she found that was, granted very hot, but also quite concerning.

The battle to free Northuldra must have been very brutal indeed, for Maren’s skin, especially on her back and shoulders, was like a patchwork of scars, mostly small, but some bigger and one at her shoulder looked defiantly like an old shoot wound, reminding her of the one her father had at his left leg, an old remnant of a hunting trip gone wrong.

But before Elsa could ask anything, or even show concern Maren had found her collarbone again, gently nibbling on the skin there, wandering downward.  
Elsa watched her as she kissed the valley between her breasts, and almost forgot that she needed to breathe as Maren moved to the left, slowly, letting her lips hover over her nipple, before closing them around it.  
Elsa’s eyes flew shut and a sigh escaped her as Maren’s hand found her other breast, clearly enjoying itself, before switching – her lips moving to her right breast while clever fingers finding her left nipple, and Elsa felt her core twitch.

_‘By the fucking gods!!’_

How was she doing it? How could she make her lose her fucking mind with so little? It was not like the men she had been with had been neglecting her – they had really tried and had been very sweet and attentive.

_‘Maybe, it’s because you are very **GAY** and these poor fellows had simply not bean a musclebound, scared warrior chieftess that is also so freaking kind and –‘_

Elsa took a sharp breath!  
A careful hand ended her train of thoughts, caressing her abdomen, yet remaining there while brown eyes bore into her.

“May I?”

It gave Elsa a mighty boost of confidence at how cracked Maren’s voice sounded and she nodded.

It was bliss, breathless and perfect - a dark hand easily slid through her light hair, and on instinct she spread her legs as far as they would go, allowing Maren better access.

The hand moved deeper, covering her center fully, applying light pressure she desperately wanted more of.  
Elsa could not even care that she already was a soaked mess and that it seemed to please Maren immensely as she felt her wetness there, a delighted, even a little smug smile on her face but nothing was important as long as Maren kept going.

Elsa sighed in pleasure as cleaver finger’s started to move, exploring the area, getting a feel for it as they tried to find all her sweet spots, skipping the small bundle of nerves on purpose, making Elsa’s hips buck desperately against Maren’s, trying to get more contact, more friction, more everything!

Finally, Maren relented, dipping her finger in the wetness, before drawing smooth, wet circles over her clit.  
It was wonderful yet it was only the beginning, merely foreplay, and Elsa was already losing it – and fast, her vision fuzzy around the edges.

And then Maren adjusted her angle so her finger lined up at Elsa’s entrance now, shifting all her weight on her left arm, and as their eyes met yet again and Elsa saw the desperate need she was feeling mirrored in them, she was completely reduced to instincts only.

She kissed Maren deeply as she reached down between them, laying her hand Maren’s, trying to guide her fingers in and at that small moment as Elsa had taken the lead, she saw something darkened behind those beautiful eyes, the short loss of control spurring Maren on, as she plunged deeply into Elsa, the moan she choked out nearly as loud as Elsa’s own.

It would be over soon, Elsa could tell, and she wanted the brunette even closer than she was already so she flung her arms around Maren’s neck again, kissing her while pulling her down, making it impossible for Maren to support herself on her free arm any longer, her full weight pushing her into the sofa.  
Making good use of her free hand, Maren let it slide between them, and at the new sensation Elsa had to break the kiss, pressing her face against a strong shoulder, her hands wandering down from Maren’s neck to her back, and as she felt her strong muscles move and contract under scared skin, screaming in great effort, already covered slight sheen of sweat, all just to bring her pleasure - she came, hard!

Elsa’s legs and arms clapped around Maren, holding the other in a vice grip, her walls milking Maren’s finger for all it’s worth, as white sparks filled her vision.

Vaguely she realized that Maren prolonged her pleasure with deft strokes, making the second orgasm almost painful, but as she felt how the brunette tried to build up a third, Elsa gently nudged her, getting her attention, shaking her head, not trusting her voice yet.

Luckily Maren seemed to understand, and Elsa felt how she carefully moved out of her, feeling weirdly empty at the loss.  
Maren kissed her again before she tried to move off of Elsa, obviously wanting to give her a little more room to breathe, but Elsa held her there, the desire to stay close, to dwell in the other’s presence still strong.

Maren relented, chuckling lightly as she rested her head on Elsa’s chest, asking: “I am not smothering you?”

Elsa shook her head again, before realizing that Maren could not see the gesture from where she lay.

“No, please stay,” she said simply, burying her nose in the black silk, combing through her thick hair gently, relishing in the feel and the smell.

They stayed like this for as Elsa basked in her afterglow, as she took it all in, her hands wandering from luxuries hair, to strong shoulders, that, next to perfect arms, quickly turned into Elsa’s favorite part of Maren’s body. With delicate fingertips, she traced each and every scar, the heat in her lower belly rising with each one she touched.

“You can ask about them.” Maren’s smooth voice reached her, and Elsa had to swallow thickly before she spoke: “Maybe in the morning. I still want to return the favor.”

 _‘Oh wow! Two cool lines in one night? You are on a roll.’_ Elsa thought, before Maren’s head shoot up, brown eyes gleaming and Elsa had to laugh as Maren sat up and all but hauled Elsa into a sitting position as well, moving her so that she was straddling her lap, before leaning back leisurely against the sofa, letting her hands slowly wander up and down her thigs.

“Do elaborate on that! In detail please!” she said, smiling, the playfulness back in full glory and Elsa chuckled again before leaning down, kissing her deeply.

She was a little unsure how to start, so she decided to begin small, reaching for Maren’s beasts, really touching them for the first time tonight, gently letting her thumbs stroke over them,  
Maren let out a long moan, the playfulness gone again.  
Elsa could feel another heat close to her own, pulsing in the rhythm of a frantic heartbeat, and as she mindlessly grinding down against it, the sensation that followed took them both by surprise, making them pause looking at each other for a long moment before Elsa slowly, deliberately repeated the action and the same feeling came back again.

Eyes still locked, Maren turned slightly, moving so she could lay back on the sofa, gripping Elsa by the hips, adjusting her position so Elsa sat straddling her right leg, and as Maren lifted her left leg, placing it on Elsa’s shoulder, the blonde finally understood what Maren was trying, and lunged forward, touching the burning heat of the other directly with her own.

It was glorious - the sounds that escaped Maren almost inhuman, the sharp smell of their lust and the wet slap every time their hips meet in the desperate rhythm Elsa set and Maren met vigorously, robbed Elsa of the ability to speak, to think, to do anything else but squeeze her eyes shut and move against this delicious wet heat, a charged energy unlike anything else she had felt, growing between them.

Faster and faster they went for what felt like a sweet entirety, back and forth, again and again, and Elsa did not need the choked ‘Fuck’ to know that the woman under her was close too and with one last trust their passion spilled over as they came together this time, Maren trashing under her while the lips of their centers gripped each other, pulsing and contracting with each wave of relief that washed over them.

Then it was over, and Elsa almost passed out, slumping down on Maren but just like as she had saved from falling flat on her face after her first ride on Vakker, she was ready her too – catching her easily changing their position yet again so Elsa could rest her head comfortably on her chest, enjoying the feeling of Maren holding her close.

She was exhausted and the only thing that kept her from falling asleep right then and there was the smooth voice from the woman next to her.

“Tired?”  
There was an almost outrageous amount of energy left in that voice. It was maddening and as she lifted her head with great effort, glaring at Maren, the infuriating smirk of hers angered and turned her on at the same time.

 _‘Fuck, this woman and her stamina are going to kill me, aren’t they.’_ she thought but out loud she said with all the mock sternness she could muster: “You do it next time then! We see how you fare. “

A short pause.

And then –

“Yes, ma'am.”

Her voice was low and only half teasing and her expression was..…so hard to place!

It looked like yearning and want but carefully guarded, sending shivers down Elsa’s spine and she got the feeling that this, whatever this was, was a subject for another time.  
Maren seemed to think so too, kissing her, before tugging her back against her chest, whispering softly to her, talking about something else, the odd expression gone from her eyes, only affection remaining in them.

They talked for a while longer, about nothing important really, while Maren stroke through Elsa’s hair, sharing her warmth and later Elsa could not tell the moment when she had fallen asleep.


	10. An Important Call

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Elsa is trying Ok! She just has so much bad luck right now.....

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> .......based on a true story...... that is all!

Elsa’s sleep was deep, peaceful – only disturbed once by something moving close to her, the source of warmth fleeing from her grasp and she nearly woke fully but something warm engulfed her, soft and comforting, while soothing fingers combed through her hair.  
Caressed like that it was impossible to resist the pull of sleep and Elsa allowed herself to drift back to her dreams.

And damn where her dreams weird! Not unpleasant though, just strange, full of gigantic owls, huge wings blocking out the moonlight and young girls, riding rambunctiously on horse and reindeers through the woods and the voice of a woman, singing a melody that was so familiar, yet so unreachable!

Much later she woke gently, her dreams forgotten, left behind in the dark depths of sleep, stretching her pleasantly aching body leisurely, enjoying the feel of the warm blanket that was neatly warped around her, before shooting up with a jolt, realizing she was alone, Maren nowhere to be seen.  
She felt a strong pang of longing and hurt, the terrible thought that Maren could have ditched her here squeezed her heart unpleasantly.  
But then her eyes fell on her clothes, neatly hung over the back of the sofa and as she looked to the door she could see a post-it sticking to the frame. And now that she thought about it – it was defiantly not herself who got the blanket.

With the remnant of Maren’s thoughtfulness neatly wrapped around her shoulders she stood up, walking on wobbly legs to read the note and after one look at she smiled.  
It read –

 _Sorry to leave you alone, just getting the cart. The bathroom is through the hallway, third door on the left._  
 _Maren_.

Nothing special or sweet – just a very simple explanation of her absence but next to her name Maren had drawn a little cartoon version of herself, only her head, her trademark smirk plastered on her face.

It was such an endearing thing to do, Elsa could not help but laugh, now really missing that sweet dork as she took her clothes and went to the bathroom. It was not a bathroom you would have in a home, more like a public one, so taking a shower was not an option, but there was a mirror, a sink, and running water - enough so Elsa could try to make herself somewhat presentable.  
It was funny, her body felt heavy, pleasantly tired yet it was like she was floating – a good feeling only a little anticipation at its edges.

Her last ……encounters had been quite a while ago and after it had been over she had taken off, getting as much distance between herself and the awkwardness she had lived through.

But this was different.

_‘What do I do when I have spent the night with someone and really want to keep seeing this person?’_

She wanted to talk to Maren, learn more about her, just keep her around and –

_‘How does one initiate a second time anyway?!’_

There so many questions and she was at loss, her bravado from last night gone and she really wished she could ask Anna about…..

 _‘Oh Elsa, you idiot! What are phones for again?!’_ she thought, grabbed hers, and after unlocking it she was greeted with another 25 missed calls from her grandfather.  
Elsa only hesitated a moment, whipping away her grandfather’s name, a very satisfying rush of defiance rising in her that would coast her greatly later, but something in her had woken, only peeking through halves closed eyes, not ready to take shit from anyone right now.

So she pushed him from her mind, made a mental note to finally call her parents later before searching for her sister’s number, but before she could dial it, her phone light up, a picture of Anna and herself appearing on the display.

Elsa rolled her eyes, but could not help but smile. Of course, her sister would pick now of all moments to call her.

She answered it, the chipper voice of Anna never failed to make her feel relaxed and calm.

“Aha, she has not forgotten how answering a call works! Hey sis, how is our Weselton clientele doing?”

There were traffic sounds in the background, telling Elsa that Anna was on the way to work, probably with a shit-eating grin on her sister’s lips so did the only thing a sophisticated, responsible older sister could do - she blew a raspberry loudly into the phone, making her Anna laugh out loud.

_‘Oh sis, I miss you so!’_

“I take it’s all going well then in Northuldra? Please tell me you bought at least enough cheese to last mother a lifetime so this mess is at least worth something. I am really sorry you got stuck there!”

Elsa wanted an answer but her sister did not let it come so far.

“What am I saying!? I bet you really enjoy it there all alone in the woods. Not calling for two days and barely answering my texts. What have you been up to anyway?”

Elsa tried to speak once more, but again she only was able to open her mouth before Anna interrupted again.

“Let me guess - reading. Or drawing. Or if you feel really crazy and adventurous – reading and drawing.”

Her sister was such a brat…..a brat that she loved to pieces would have been right under normal circumstances, but still a brat but as Elsa opened her mouth again to tell her so, Anna interrupted her again.

“Wait! Something is going on. You sound different…”

Elsa snorted.

“How can I ‘sound’ different Anna? I have not said a word. “

“Ah, hush you! I can tell something is up.……wait….let me tune into your head-”

Suddenly the picture of a much younger Anna sitting next to her in the family car, her index fingers against her temples like a second class sear trying to read her mind – a game they always played on long drives as kids.  
Really her sister was ridiculous sometimes!

_‘As if she really could really read my –_

“You have met someone!”

_-mind and …..’_

“Wait! What? How did you-“

“Ah, I knew it! Wait let me just find a parking slot and then I am all ears!”

Elsa was absolutely flabbergasted but as she heard loud car honking and someone stepping sharply on the breaks and she pinched her nose and shook her head while listening to her sister driving like a lunatic, finally parking her car gods knew was before speaking again.

“Ok, tell me everything.”

“First you tell me how you guessed that?”

“I did not guess, I knew.”

“Come on! I did not say a word to you.”

“You did not need to! I mean, dutiful Elsa not taking any calls from grandpapa so his face slowly but surely turns into a beetroot with a mustache? Only something real big could have done that! Oh gosh, please tell me his di - ”

**“ANNA!”**

“- is big too!”

Anna laughed loudly, clearly teasing and enjoying Elsa’s misfortune, while the blonde blushed madly. The laughing did not stop and Elsa swallowed, trying bravely, yet foolishly to save what little of her pride was left.

“I don’t know what you are talking about…” she said, wishing in the next moment she had kept her mouth shut. Her voice was too high, too unsure – it was telling Anna loud and clear _‘Yes Anna, I banged the whole night and it was fantastic’._

She did not fight to urge to facepalm herself hard.

“Elsa?” Anna’s voice was low, a wolfish quality to it as she spoke very slowly and Elsa braced herself for what was coming.  
“Did you danced to the devil's tango?”

She could not speak, her face on fire, slightly annoyed that Anna was able to read her so easily but mostly embarrassed that her freaking baby sister, knew that she had sex.

_‘Could I please just die now?’_

“I…” she started lamely, not really sure how to continue her high voice betraying her again anyway. But Anna was already talking.

“AHHHHHHH you so did!! I can’t believe it! You are gone for what? Three days!? Who is the lucky guy? Spill! Don’t leave me hanging here!”

There was a very unpleasant feeling in her stomach, like missing a step on steep stairs, and Elsa was barely able to catch herself.

It was a moment of truth she was not prepared for!  
She could lie easily, just going along with Anna’s assumption that her companion was a man – but this felt wrong on such many levels, a lie she did not want to burden herself with.  
She had been quiet for so long.

_‘Like mother….’_

That thought hit her hard.  
Her mother had been silent, had been lying too but she had a good reason at least.  
A murderous organization that had eradicated her whole family, close on her heels like a bloodthirsty pack of dogs, missing her only by sheer luck – that was something to be afraid of.

_‘What I am afraid of?’_

Of disappointing her family, of not being the person they saw in her – but this had to stop!  
Elsa knew that hiding was not an option for the future – not for her or her mother!

So why not start now?

She took a deep breath, preparing herself

“Anna…” she spoke, her voice foreign even in her own ears, and like always Anna picked up on the shift in tone.

“Yes?”

It was softly spoken, and even though Elsa could not see her, she knew she had Anna’s full attention.

But she could not open her mouth!

_‘Why not? What is wrong with you!!!??? It’s Anna you are talking too. Just do it!’_

“Anna I….have to tell you something……”

Her mouth was suddenly dry, her heart beating somewhere in her throat and she had to swallow before she could try to speak again and it was the hardest thing she had done in a long time.

“Elsa?”

“It’s a….just. I am afraid to tell you….it’s stupid, I know -“

“Elsa.” Anna interrupted her gently: “You can tell me anything. You know that right?”

There was so much understanding, so much encouragement in her sister’s voice that it igniting a warm fire in Elsa’s chest, making her feel so loved

And so Elsa did the only thing that one could do at that moment, taking all her courage, speaking loud and clear: “Anna, I am gay.”

There was silence on the other end but in Elsa’s heart was only relief.

_‘ **Wow!** That feels good to say.’_

Carried by her sudden bravery, Elsa quickly continued talking, almost afraid as if she stopped now she would never be able to continue.

“And that is not even the best part! Here comes more - mother is a Northuldra. She escaped while the rest of her family….well, our family actually, got killed…it’s a wild story but I meet mother's childhood friend and she is so nice. Oh, and mother is a thief! Breaking and entering! Can you believe that?”

But there was still no sound from Anna and dread started to rise in Elsa, burning her throat, making speaking difficult again.

“Anna? Please say something?”

Nothing!  
Elsa felt tears well up in her eyes as the silence continued.

“Please, just–“

Elsa nearly sobbed but then she noticed something. The sound of the traffic from Anna’s side was gone too. Slowly she took the phone from her ear, looking at the pitch black screen in complete silence for a long moment.

Her phone had died.

_'What the actual!!'_

**“AHHH FUCK ME!”** Elsa bellowed frustrated, nearly throwing this good for nothing piece of junk out the next window.

“Gladly, but I really want to buy you dinner before we do anything this time around.” A smooth voice said behind her, making her jump, and as she spun around Maren stood before her, in all her glory, looking remarkably like the cartoon version she had drawn of herself, her smile infuriatingly smug.

Gazing into these brown eyes again had a remarkable effect on Elsa and it was almost embarrassing how strongly her heart pounded in her chest, how much she wanted to be close again. Not necessarily in a sexual way, just close, retreating into this little bubble they had shared last night. But she was also at loss how exactly to achieve that.

Luckily Maren seemed to share this sentiment and she clearly had much more experience with this kind of thing.  
She came closer, now all teasing gone from her, freezing Elsa to the spot as one tanned hand reached for hers, holding it tenderly, stroking the back of it with her thumb as she stepped a little closer.  
It was an intimate gesture that made Elsa’s heart sore, yet Maren kept a somewhat respectful distance, giving her ample opportunity to pull back, paying tribute to the fact that they moved quite fast last night.

“Sorry for leaving you but even though I could think of much better things to do right now –“ Maren interrupted herself there to lean down and breathe a kiss on Elsa’s knuckles, before looking up, brown eyes burning like ambers in the sun, and Elsa knew she was in deep, deep trouble.

“-I really have to get some work done today and there is still your car waiting for my attention.”

_‘Not just my car is waiting for your attention. No! Please brain – focused on what she is saying! I really don’t want to look dumb in front of her right now! ‘_

With all her might Elsa forced her voice to sound even.

“Of course, I probably should get something done too and really need to charge my phone and call my sister back.”

 _‘Can’t wait for that talk. Yippy!’_ she thought, accepting the fact that right now she could do nothing about this, not really sure how much she wanted Anna to have heard before the phone died.

“Ah, I see. Sorry, I would offer to lend you mine but it died at some point last night too. Our little trip was a spour of the moment decicion.”

Maren gave her a cheeky smile, the words ‘last night’ intertwined with the slightest hint of smugness, a slight smile playing around her lips, just enough to come across as incredibly attractive, and Elsa realized – this was not over, it was not a one-time thing!

No, it was…more even though Elsa could not have said for the life of her in which direction this was going, only that she would most certainly enjoy every step of the way.  
Elsa met the gaze of the other, smiling, one eyebrow raised before she turned around, leaving it to Maren to follow her to the Vakker and the cart waiting outside.

‘Good that I am in such capable hands.’


	11. A Fast Ride

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Elsa tries to call her sister and makes another little trip.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow, I don't know what happened but that got finished fast...well, enjoy!

It was remarkable how the Maren managed to make this thirty minutes’ drive to back to her house, not the most awkward experience in Elsa’s young life but an actual blast.  
The morning was a little crisp but the smaller woman had brought the blanket along Elsa had woken up in an act of very cute chivalry, laid it around her shoulders.  
They talked easily about this and that, and Maren was all charming, just a joy to be around or how Anna would have described it – the woman was clearly putting on her A-game, and Elsa would have been lying if she said she did not enjoy the attention very much.  
Elsa felt how her whole body relaxed, her mind at ease and as she let Maren’s firm presence engulf her, even her catastrophic coming-out attempt took a back seat for the moment and the blond felt comfortable enough to ask questions herself or initiate casual touches – simple, easy, something Elsa could get used to.

When they arrived at their destination, Maren gave Vakker a whistle to stop, before turning to Elsa and the blonde recognized the expression on the other’s face immediately, the same wild whirlwind of emotions Elsa had seen the night before, and even shielded by Maren’s careful restraint, there was something in these brown eyes that pulled her in – a strong undertow that, if both allowed it to, would carry them to completely foreign shores of something Elsa had no name for.

 _‘Oh wow, looks like I inherited so much of my father’s poetic sap.’_ Elsa thought, and normally she would have laughed about her overly romantic thoughts but Maren started talking and what she said caused everything in Elsa to come to a screeching halt.

“You know, this may come now a little out of left field but I think I need to say it –“Maren started and for the first time Elsa saw something more than the brunette's usual smooth confidence.  
There was something unsure in the way she spoke like she was bracing herself for a step into unknown territory.

“I like you, Elsa, I really do and I want to get to know you better. Not just between the sheets. Even though I don’t mind if this remains a part of the experience.”

Ah, there it was again, the smug, very suggestive, very handsome smile that would get most people a slap in the face but for Maren, it brought a hot night in a future museum, yet there was an almost anxious tint to her eyes and Elsa realized that the other was actually nervous, her whole body tense as she waited for her answer. It was the cutest thing.

_‘As if I would say no!’_

“I would like that,” Elsa spoke softly and the effect on Maren was immense.

Gone was all smugness, in its place now an honest joy lightening up her face and as she almost shyly moved her hand closer to Elsa’s, a clear question if it would be alright to hold it in her own, it almost made Elsa swoon, the giddy joy rising up in her chest as she allowed Maren to intertwine their fingers making her playful.

“My, aren’t you the gentlewoman.” Elsa teased making Maren laugh through her nose.

“I’ll try my best.”

“I’ll bet you do,” Elsa said, her voice slightly lower before she gently removed her hand from the soft grip, putting some distance between them and Maren gently let go of her, giving her the space she wanted.  
It impressed Elsa that the smaller woman did not just assume that, after spending the night together, it was now a given to touch her as she pleased.  
There was something almost old fashioned about the way Maren behaved, even in the instances where she melted her brain by smiling or flirted with her shamelessly, she never had given Elsa the feeling of being cheap or just one of a long line of women waiting for the brunettes attention.

 _‘Respectful. When became this word so hot?!’_ shoot through Elsa’s mind as she sat down on the bed, plugged in the charger and phone, stopping a moment before pushing the power button.

She felt nervous now, a little afraid even of what would pop up on the screen if she turned it on.  
Elsa was not sure how she would handle if Anna reacted badly to her being well herself or how she handled being lied to by her mother for so long.  
Her sister was sweet and compassionate but she could also be a real spitfire if she thought someone she loved was treated badly or if anyone tried to fool her, a true force to be reckoned with.

 _‘Whatever it is Anna thinks I will not find it out by just staring at my phone.’_ Elsa thought, facing her fear of rejection and pressing the small button.

Watching her phone spring to life, waiting until it had fully loaded were some of the longest moments of her life but as her phone was finally done – she could only blink at the screen in surprise.

There were the usual twenty or so missed calls from Runeard and a call from an unknown number but none of her sister, no messages, no nothing and as she tried to call her there was only told by the very friendly computer-lady that Anna’s number was currently not available.  
Instead of the onslaught of questions, there was complete silence.  
Elsa had not expected that. But it made sense the more she thought about it. She really had dropped a lot on Anna without any warning. The least she could do now was to give her sister some time to grasp all that……and when she **really** thought about it there was still the possibility that Anna had heard nothing of her coming-out or the truth about their mother. She did not know the exact moment the phone had died after all.

_‘What a mess!’_

With a deep sigh, the blonde let herself fall back on the bed, closing her eyes for a moment, trying to figure out what was the next right thing to do but she seemed not the only one that had problems to solve.  
She could hear Maren talking in the kitchen now, probably someone on the phone and the other seemed very unhappy with what she heard.

“-you can’t just – wait, what you mean you already halfway there? Hello? Hello?!” a very exaggerated groan followed.

Elsa sat up, very intrigued who was able to unnerve the normally calm woman like this she Elsa left her phone on her bed, made her way to the kitchen, and sure enough there stood Maren, her own phone plugged in, obviously just finished speaking to someone.

As she saw Elsa, she gave her an apoplectic look before speaking: “I apologies in advanced and I promise I had nothing to do with it.”

“What?” seemed like the appropriate response to this and like on cue Elsa could hear something in the distance, a loud rattling sound that slowly but surely got closer and closer.

“Well, too late to escape now… “Maren said drily, as she stepped outside, the ruckus now almost too loud to hear one another.

Elsa followed her and as she wanted to step past Maren, a little further into the yard, the smaller woman held her back, gesturing to stay right where she was, before walking over to the chicken coop, gently guiding the chickens closer to it. It was an adorable sight as all five of them followed Maren without a fuss, like she was the mother hen, allowing her to lead them into the coop and safely close the door behind them, and not a moment too soon as a cart came shooting around the corner with high speed, the light gray reindeer that pulled it leaving deep furrows in the ground as the young woman driving the cart pulled back the reins, her mad dash coming to an abrupt halt, whirling up dust so Elsa had to close her eyes, covering her mouth and nose with her hand, coughing.  
As the dust had finally cleared, Elsa recognized the driver of the cart as Iloh, the young woman she had met first here in Northuldra in what felt like a lifetime ago.

“Morning, Elsa! Remember me?!” Iloh asked, jumping off the cart, smiling cheekily up at her, arms spread in a ‘Tada-her-I-am -here‘ - gesture.  
Elsa only looked at her, not sure if she should be annoyed or amused, but before she could decide Maren was at her side again, looking quite strict- her cutes expression yet.

_‘Oh Elsa, make your top-ten later when you are alone! Concentrate or you missing what is going on, again!’_

Pulling herself together, she returned the smile Iloh offered.

“How could I forget you? It’s rare that people run out of the room, screaming for their mother when I enter.” She teased, only to regret her words the second they passed her lips. Was it to forward? Did Iloh get it was a joke? Or has Elsa insulted the other?

But Maren’s laugh next to her interrupted the spiral her mind was taking downwards. And to her immense surprise, Iloh smile did not falter one bit as she answered, hands now on her hips, looking immensely proud of herself.

“What can I say? I know how to make an impression.”

“That is one way to put it!” Maren answered, her voice dripping with sarcasm and now it was Elsa’s turn to giggle lightly.

“Ah, you are just jealous.” Iloh said, and Elsa watched amused how she stepped between them, shooing Maren aside in a way that made the brunette roll her eyes and smile at the same time. Maren let it happen, before turning around and stepped into the house, grabbing something close by the door.

Iloh’s attention was on her, and Elsa had to take her eyes of Maren. Gently she took her arm and lead her to the cart, all the while talking in a mock gentle way like she didn’t want to scare Elsa, teasingly her in a good-natured manner that reminded her of Anna.

“I don’t know what Maren has told you but believe me you will love it! And up you go…” Iloh said, unnecessary helping her sitting on the cart, before climbing up herself, taking the reins, obviously wanting to rush to her destination at the same neck-breaking speed she just arrived here. Without thinking Elsa let her hand shoot forward, stopping Iloh gently by placing it on her arm.

“Please, a little slower this time?” Elsa asked her, and Iloh looked almost a little disappointed, but only for a second before smiling again, nodding in agreement.

“Sure! You are our guest after all and….” but she did not get further, as something that looked like a traditional Northuldra coat, hit her from behind, covering her face and moments later Maren appeared next to Elsa, giving her a similar jacket, only much more gently and with a smile before she spoke.

“Exactly, Iloh! She is our guest and next time you better not come crashing into my home without asking her if she wants to come along with you in the first place. Understood?”

Iloh only freed herself from the coat, smoothing out her hair as if nothing had happened; the picture of confidence and Elsa could not help but smile, hiding it while looking down on the garment she had been given, admiring the sturdiness of the material on the outside before putting the coat on, relishing in the instant warmth it provided, an excellent shield against the morning chill, simply loving the softness of its internal lining. Like all clothes Maren had lent her, the arms were a little too short for her, but the gesture was very thoughtful. As she adjusted the sleeves Elsa was surprised as she recognized many of the symbols that were stitched into the colorful rims as the marks of a protector of the tribe.  
Elsa’s mother had so many pictures laying around in her house, she even had shown Elsa some the last time they had coffee and now the blond could not help but think that Iduna maybe had wanted to prepare her a little, sparking her interest before revealing the truth she had to hide for so long. But before she could lose herself in her thoughts, Iloh spoke again.

“First of I tried to call her but I could not reach her and on a second note - you easily could have prevented me from coming if you really wanted to and you did not stop me because……?” she asked, laying the coat carelessly beside her, glancing at Maren with one eyebrow raised at her.

That was indeed a very good question, and Elsa turned also to Maren, mirroring the raised eyebrow, a slight smile stealing itself on her lips as she saw how Maren looked at them both clearly very unhappy with what she had to say next.  
Yet with another big, exaggerated sigh - she caved.

“Because it was a very good idea you had and Elsa will love it. You really going to love it,” she said, looking at Elsa, smiling again, making Elsa nearly missed what Iloh said next.

“Thank you! So if you excuse us now and before you say anything- “  
Iloh spoke the last four words very fast, indeed stopping Maren dead in her tracks, who had just opened her mouth, her index finger raised towards Iloh.

“- I bring her back around three so she still can get work done. And I drive slowly and I will not use any of my shortcuts! It’s perfectly safe!” Iloh said, but Elsa could hear her mutter ‘-and boring’ beside her, and Elsa had to hold back her laugh as Maren, who obviously had not heard anything, said goodbye to Elsa.

“I see you later. Have fun, Elsa.”

“Well, you seem so sure I will have fun, so what could go wrong, right?”  
That made the other’s laugh and with one last goodbye Iloh whistled to the reindeer and they took off at a much more moderate pace.

It was a weird feeling, leaving Maren behind like that. A little part of Elsa already missed her in a way and to hide her slightly red cheeks, she adjusted the collar of the coat somewhat which really did not work in her favor.  
By moving it, she got a width of the enticing smell that seemed to be interwoven with the material, a wonderful mix of pine, honeysuckle, and something she got very familiar with last night…..warm….soft...Maren.

 _‘I am such a disaster!’_ she thought, feeling very lucky that Iloh was preoccupied, for as soon as they were out of sight of Maren's house, she laid the reins aside and folded her coat over her shoulders, sighing with relief.

“Ahh, that is better! Please don’t tell Maren?”

“My lips are sealed.” Elsa said, smiling at the pleading look on Iloh’s face that turned into one of gratefulness at her words.

“Thanks! Sorry by the way. To kidnap you so early but I really wanted you to see this before you leave. I guarantee you, you will love it!”

“So, where are you taking me?” Elsa asked, curious and a little excited. So far all her trips in Northuldra had been worthwhile, and she accepted this one to be no different.

“Did Maren really not tell you?” Iloh asked, looking surprised.

“You were a little too fast for her I suppose.”

“Uhhh, I have to remember this day as special then. I bring you to our brand new hospital. Well, more like newly renovated, to be precise. The building is quite old already.”

“And what is there that I should see?”

“Well, for one there are people that desperately want to meet you and there is something I will not spoil now. It’s my luck that Maren was not quick enough to tell you what I wanted to show you. It works so much better as a surprise!” she jumped a little on her seat, clearly very excited to show her whatever she had in store.

“So, but now let’s not talk about that. My big blabbermouth will ruin the surprise in the end if I am not careful. Let’s talk about you! Tell me everything! What it was like to grow up as an almost princess in the high society of Arendelle?”

Elsa hesitated for a moment. She could tell her about the crippling self-doubt, and mind-numbing fear to do anything wrong mostly inflected by her grandfather…..but she felt that this would kill the mood, so she went with: “There is not much to talk about, my sister is more in the spotlight now, I took a step back from all that…I wanted to concentrate on my work….the dresses I got to wear sometimes were nice though. But there were defiantly not worth all the hassle. ”

“You make it sound like being almost royalty is totally boring! Mmmh, I guess all the comics I risked my life for lied to me after all…..” Iloh said, mumbling the last words more to herself, yet Elsa caught them and at the mortified look on her face, Iloh quickly followed with an explanation.

“That’s Dam for you! Declaring harmless magazines and comics to be dangerous propaganda of the enemy? No problem! Imprisoning even minors for owning them? Just another Tuesday for them.”

She said it so casually, clearly trying to put Elsa at ease, turning it into a joke but it was not working, for it slowly dawned on Elsa how much control Dam had back then and how dangerous it had been to stagger from the very narrow path they had laid out for you, when something that mundane as reading a comic had been enough to get a child punished like that and suddenly something close to fear rose in her, a mere shadow of how her mother must have felt so long ago.

 _‘How she still feels.’_ Elsa realized and suddenly she really hoped that Anna did not hear the part where she blurted out her mother’s secret and was not busting into the hospital and confronted her mother while working.

_‘It’s all so messed up!’_

“You all had to sacrifice so much….it’s not fair…..”

“Life is it not fair. You just have to take what is given to you and make the best of it.”

“That is very wise of you,” Elsa answered, looking at Iloh, who came across so carefree, that this insightful statement felt slightly out of place.

“Ahh, my mother always says that! I just usually just do what I want until one of the more reasonable folks like mum or Honeymaren stop me before I hurt myself. When you do that often enough, you pick up one or two things along the way.”

That was delivered so dryly that Elsa had to hold back a laugh yet again.

Iloh only smiled at her, looking immensely pleased that she had been able to lighten the mood again.

As they drove on it through an especially beautiful part of the forest it surprised Elsa how easily she could talk with the other woman. Anna would have been proud of her as she answered questions, even asking some herself, sounding almost like someone her age for a change.

“You are an architect? That is so cool! “

“Yes, but one with immense inspiration block.”

“Not from what Ryder told me! He said your sketch you made in his car was outstanding!”

“How…when…. news travel fast here, don’t they?”

Iloh winking good-naturedly to Elsa.

“You can say that again. But what do you mean with immense inspiration block?”

“Before I came here, I had not managed to get something on paper for months!! I was totally…..empty like I spend all I had and more! But then I saw Maren’s house and…it just clicked! Suddenly it was all coming to me without a problem….I really can not say why.”

“When inspiration hits you, am I right?” Iloh said, smiling kindly at her.

 _‘And another one reached the ‘I-am-starting-to-like-you’_ – status. Wow, the Northhuldra are on a roll!’ Elsa thought as she returned the smile.

"What do you do?" Elsa asked.

"I am a healer in training and when I am not busy with that I help to sell cheese and run from costumers when they enter the shop." 

Elsa laughed long and hard at that. This woman was so funny, Anna had to meet her!

"I see-" she said breathily as she calmed down somewhat:"-but healer in training?"

“Jepp, you would call it doctor in training, I guess? Or something like that? Studying medicine?"

"You are becoming a doctor?" Elsa said, very surprised but Iloh seemed not bothered by that.

"Yeah, I get that a lot! People don't look at me and think I could set bones and remove their appendix but I so can! Ever dislocate your shoulder or having a heart attack? No worries, I've got you covered!"

It was spoken in a joking manner, but something about this small ball of energy in the form of a woman told Elsa that she was someone you wanted around if things got dire.

"Oh, here we are!” Iloh suddenly said, pointing ahead of them and as Elsa turned she hated herself for not bringing her drawing stuff with her.

In the distance among the trees, the roof of a huge building could be seen and even this little peek she was allowed to take in told Elsa that this was a remarkable structure. The so cherished feeling of something new pushing behind her eyes, something wonderful that wanted to come out, the need to express herself pushing everything else aside.

She had to see this building up close! And she had to find pen and paper!

“Iloh?”

“Yes?”

“Can you drive faster?”

“But-“ Iloh looked reluctant for a moment, clearly thinking of Maren and the promise she had given her future leader.

“Please?”

The younger woman only thought for a moment before she made her decision.

“Well, you are our guest and you said please! Varo, go, go!”

The reindeer listened right away, obviously loving a sharper pace just as much as his owner and with neck-breaking speed, they shoot off, their destination growing closer by the second.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you liked it! Stay safe, take care and have fun!


	12. All Paths Lead To?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Shit hits the fan!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok finally finished this! An important chapter and a long one so sorry for the wait :-) Enjoy!

“Anna, I am gay.”

At first, the words of her sister were like a sledgehammer, but the effect only lasted for a second as more and more instances from the past came to mind, many little things Anna Arendelle never really could make sense of at the time, the sudden confusion in her head replaced by a big, fat-

_‘ **OFCOURSE, SHE IS GAY!!** She didn’t even like Eric and everyone likes Eric!’_

But before Anna could say so, Elsa babbled on her next words all but turning Anna’s world upside down.

“And that is not even the best part! Here comes more - mother is a Northuldra. She escaped while the rest of her family….well, our family actually, got killed…it’s a wild story but I meet mother's childhood friend and she is so nice. Oh, and mother is a thief! Breaking and entering! Can you believe that?”

_‘Wait, what?’_

Anna could not breathe for a second, the words of her sister barely thinking through.

Something about escaping something?

_‘Wait, what?’_

Of mother being a thief?

**_‘Wait, what?’_ **

And mother being a Northuldra fugitive?

**“WHAIT, WHAT?”**

That one – mother is a Northuldra - finally gave Anna her voice back.  
So little words that meant so much!  
Mother had been lying to her, to Elsa, and most likely to father too. She, Anna, was a Northuldra, a whole line of their family tree a total unknown to her……and why was Elsa not saying anything?

“Elsa, please say something!” Anna whispered almost pleadingly, desperately searching for something to hold to, to stop this whirlwind in her head, but nothing! Her sister was dead silent.

“Elsa?”

Still nothing.  
Alright, her sister was more the silent type but she normally answered a direct question! Impatiently Anna looked on the screen only to see that the call had been canceled.

_‘What the hell?!’_

With much more force than necessary, she pushed the redial button, waiting impatiently for Elsa to pick up again but apparently, her sister was not available right now. 

Unbelievable- Elsa threw a bomb on her and now she was not even picking up her phone?! Was she too busy getting it on with whatever random Northuldra-chick she had met, or what was going on!?

 **“FUCK ME!** ” she yelled so loud that a few early risers walking by outside turned their heads towards her car, but Anna did not care, with a groan of despair he led her head crash against the wheel, remaining there, not caring about the loud, ear-piercing horn sound she produced.

_‘Ok Anna, take a deep breath! Think.’_

There were a lot of good reasons why Elsa had to hang up on her! Maybe her phone had died, or she had nor reception all of the sudden, she was in Northuldra after all, most likely she was panicking right now that she could not reach her – the point was that Elsa would never leave her hanging like this without a good reason. End of story!

She raised her head, ending the loud honking abruptly, resting her face in her hands for a moment before combing through her hair, laughing through her nose as another reason came to mind.

_‘Maybe her little Northuldra girl had convinced her that there are better things to do than talk with me?’_

In a way, Anna almost hoped so, even if this turn of events was very unlikely. Not that she really wanted to picture her sister doing that but hell – Elsa really deserved some fun for a change, a nice, long break from all she had to struggle with here!  
One of the many reasons Anna had not just simply send a driver to pick her sister up was that had Elsa was forced to take it a little slower – a sisterly prescribed vacation if you will, some slow, quiet days in the woods to recharge her batteries.

And what did Elsa do? Did she take it slow? No, of course not!

She discovered that their mother had been lying to them the whole time, and it was no little lie like - there is no Santa Clause, no sir!  
A real big fat lie, withholding something that was kind of life-changing the more she thought about it!

 _‘Ok, good! What do I do about it while my sister is probably dancing through the forest, only stopping to smooch whatever companion she had picked up there, basking in the sun while she is at it?’_ Anna thought, gripping the wheel tightly, pondering what would be the next right thing.

_‘Easy! Go and talk to the person who caused all this! Get answers. ’_

New purpose filled Anna as she pulled out of the parking lot.  
Luckily Arendelle hospital was not far.

Elsa could not believe her luck! The hospital was an architectural masterpiece.

A round building, reminding her somewhat of a colosseum and entirely built out of stone, with an even roof, it was one of the bigger structures Elsa had ever seen. If it had not been for the masterful way it was constructed that it almost looked like it was from the same mold, painted in an inviting pale green and a soft brown, a sure way to make it appeal to children, it would have looked horrible out of place but the Northuldra had a way of building things that made even bigger structures looked like they were one with their surroundings.

‘ _Why did you not bring something, anything to draw, Elsa what is wrong with you?’_

She barely withstands the urge to facepalm for not counting in the immense effect Northuldra had on her inspiration, vowing to never go anywhere ever again without at least a sketchbook or something like that!

It was hard to not just run into the hospital and repeat the crazy outburst she had in front of Maren’s house, as she had highjacked Ryder's car for her purposes! So hard!

Yet as she turned to climb off the cart she something lying behind her seat, a little bag that had not been there when she had sat down.

With no clue what she would find there her opened the bag, only to have her heart leap in her throat.

It was her drawing pad and all she needed to sketch, another post-it with a proud little Maren-face smirking back up at her, a tiny hand forming an extra dorky peace sign, making Elsa snort-laugh.

‘ _Out of all shameless and very attractive flirts, this land has very likely to offer I picked the silly one.’_ Elsa thought fondly before folding the post-it and put in her pocket just before Iloh appeared at her side.

“What’s so funny?” before seeing what Elsa held in hand, smiling, rolling her eyes.

“Get used to it! Maren babysits us all in a way. It’s her job so to speak. But you are lucky that you are here now and not half a year ago.” She said simply, winking at her before leading her to the main entrance of the building.

“What was half a year ago?” Elsa asked carefully.

“Maren – we all were more on edge back then. Dam was gone such a short time and we weren’t used to freedom yet, we still aren’t really. But Maren like the rest of our warrior’s took the brunt of it all whenever they could, protecting us and succeeding and failing in that leaves its marks. Not just on the body. It's not perfect by any means but we are getting there.”

Elsa swallowed thickly, the true source of every little scar on Maren’s back turned into very grim guesswork indeed. When did Maren fail or succeeded in helping someone, and may it be herself?

“I just want to prepare you. We still have some patients that were wounded during the battles and they can look terrifying when one sees them for the first time. Most have to stay in their rooms but some are well enough to walk around so be prepared! It could be that you meet some today. Just to give you a heads up.” Iloh said like she was talking about the weather and in a way this subject must feel as mundane to her.

“Alright,” Elsa said and Iloh gave her a warm smile before gesturing her to follow.

Thanks to Iloh's warning Elsa had to halve expected the inside of the hospital to be a dark and gloomy but in hindsight this thought sounded pretty ridicules. Of course, all were painted in white and warm green, like lush treetops on a summer day. All was meticulously clean and the familiar smell that was so typical of hospitals filled Elsa's nose, but there was something else there, underneath the disinfectants, a pleasant herbal note that reminded her of the tea her mother drank often.

At the reception young stocky man talked to someone on the phone but before Elsa got close enough to understand anything he noticed them, and quickly ended the call, his smile wide and honest as he spoke.

"Ah welcome! Has Iloh finally caught you and dragged you here? It s a pleasure to meet you. I am Flippan, nice to meet you." he said and offered his hand to her.

His charm was disarming and even though he was nothing but polite friendly it became clear to Elsa that she discovered another shameless flirt of this land, only that his tactics would most likely not work on her.

_'For obvious reasons.'_

"Elsa, nice to meet you too," she answered and took the offered hand before he turned to Iloh.

"Should I go get her?" he asked.

"Na, it's fine, I get her. You should stay here anyway. I already can hear Alvor 'Never leave yo -"

"Never leave your post...yeah, yeah," Flippan said with a big sigh before pointing to the waiting area to Elsa's right.

"You can wait there. Want anything to drink? Cofee? Tea? Water?"

"Water would be great. Thank you." Elsa said, the tickle in her fingers already pushing her to find a place to sit and work.

"Sure, sit down. I bring the water over."

"Don't worry. It would take a moment anyway enough time for you would say. Now of you go!" Iloh added, shooing her into the direction of the waiting area, before turning around and vanishing into a long hallway.

Elsa happily complied, taking the first best seat she could find and started working completely blind for her surroundings, her hands flying over the paper, withholding nothing, the construct she had half-finished in her head pouring out of her an on to the paper.

It was hard to tell how long she had worked but it could have not been long for the water that Flippan had brought her had still gas in it, small bubbles popping on its surface, but something close to her head moved and as she turned around she saw a small girl, not older than five sitting right next to her looking at her with big eyes while shieling her field of vision with her hand so she could not see what Elsa was drawing.

"Can I take a look?" she asked and Elsa blinked dumbly at the girl, trying to get what she meant before it clicked.

"Sure," Elsa said, her heart softening at the happy gleam in the girl's dark brown eyes.

She was a cute little thing, small, with a slim face, dark brown and very thick hair held back in a beautiful woven braid – a real munchkin if Elsa ever saw one. The impression only got stronger as she moved to look at her drawing.

The loud 'Wow' reminded Elsa so much of younger Anna, something tugging at her heartstrings again.

"That looks so good! Can I see more?"

How could Elsa say no when this girl looked so hopeful and eager? So she handed her drawing pad over and watched as she skipped through it with great care she had not expected from a child her age. Elsa used this moment to look around for the girl's parents but there was none else close by. Then she caught the gaze of Flippan who was on the phone again. She gestured slightly with the head to the girl that still held her drawing pad in hands like it were the crown jewels of Arendelle and the young man seemed to get what Elsa wanted to ask.

He gestured to the hallway where Iloh had vanished and the blonde figured that one of the girl's parents worked here or had to be examined.

"Wow." the girl again but this time in a respectful whisper as she turned to look at Elsa.

"You are really good," she said quietly before offering her the pad back her eyes full of honest admiration.

"What's your name?" she asked Elsa in the same awestruck whisper she had used to praise her sketches.

"Elsa." she answered, managing to hold in her laugh: "It's nice to meet you. Who are you?"

_'How can anyone be so cute!'_

"Linga," she said still looking at Elsa in total awe before her eyes grew even bigger.

"Ohhhh, you are the one that grew up in Arendelle, right?" she asked.

"Yes," Elsa admitted, smiling at the girl that suddenly exploded into questions, a true whirlwind of words.

"Uh, how is it there? How does Arendelle look? Are the people nice there? How long do you have to go to school? Just as long as you have to in Northuldra? Do you have reindeer too? Do you like reindeer?"

And on and on!

_'By the gods! Does she need to breathe at all?'_

But before she could even answer any of Linga's many questions a voice, deep and rich, but old saved her.

"Linga, don't bother our guest with too many questions at once! Remember – one at a time and wait for the answer."

Elsa looked up and saw the owner of the voice. It was a small woman, and the oldest Elsa had ever seen, bent by age, her hair a beautiful silver, her eyes cast over milky white in blindness.

It was hard to put her finger on it, but Elsa felt that before her, stood a woman that demanded respect but in a kind, caring way? Was this possible?

"Yes Rue, sorry. I just got so excited." Linga's answered, not at all put out that she had been chided before jumping from her chair next to Elsa, running up to the ancient woman and hugged her, while an old hand stroke through her hair.

"It's fine little paintbrush. Go with Iloh now, she brings you to your mother. Alvor is finished with her. Go, while I take a little walk with our guest here."

"But Rue! I warn you! Don't show her anything before I am not back understood? I want to see her face."

A deep, surprisingly rich laugh was Iloh's answer.

"Don't worry kid. At my pace, you will be three times back before we reached anything. Now – of you go!"

Ioh rolled her eyes, sighed deeply like the weight of the world lay on her shoulders and took Linga's hand before winking at Elsa, before leaving the and looked more than once over her shoulder as they both left.

Now Elsa was alone with the woman called Rue, her blind eyes were pointed in her direction, a smile on her face.

"Elsa Arendelle what a joy to meet you! Come here child." the old woman said, stretching out her hand to Elsa.

Her body acted on its own as she stood and took the offered hand and Elsa was surprised by the strong grip the old woman still had.

"I am Rue Buen, former head healer of the north, now retired. Please, just call me Rue, all do. Would you bend down a little so I can take a proper look at you?"

That confused Elsa for a moment but one looked in the milky eyes and she understood.

Even on her knees, she was a little taller than Rue, her hand as she softly stroked over Elsa's face felt leathery, but soft, the bewitching scent of herbs clinging to it.

"Ah, I knew your mother well. You certainly have her nose," she said, a fond smile on her face, giggling slightly as she turned on her heels and held out her elbow.

"Come now. Let's see if we can get a head start on Iloh's big surprise. It's not far but for my old legs, it is a long trip. We have to go outside. Do you mind helping me?"

"Of course not," Elsa said, strangely moved by meeting yet another person that had to know her mother as a child. Slowly they made their way back to the main door. Elsa did not mind the slow pace, it gave her ample time to plaster Rue with questions, barely able to show some restraint, nearly stumbling over words as Linga had done.

"How did you know my mother?"

"She was my student, she trained to be a healer."

That took Elsa by surprise.

"But she was so young?"

"When children show promising abilities in a certain field we try to provide specialized lessons to foster these talents and passions. Iduna had a remarkably good memory for all herbs and treatments, reading a lot on her own on the subject matter. Her fathers came to talk to me and I agreed that only a few girls her age had the encyclopedia of the human anatomy as a good night story." Rue said dryly and Elsa laughed.

_'Oh, mother! You were such a nerd.'_

They stepped through the door, the sun a lot warmer already even though the light chill of the morning was still there, but Rue sighed happily as the sun touched her face.

"Ah, what a day. To the left now, dear. Just alongside the building, you will know what Iloh wanted to show you when you see it."

So they made their way, over a neat little path, alongside the building, a few trees and flowers grew nearby, reminding Elsa of the little park, close to the hospital of her mother, meant for the patients well enough to catch some fresh air or for people waiting for news, good or bad to do so outside if pacing helped to ease uncertainty and fear.

For Elsa and Anna, it had been a place they waited for mother, playing quiet games, or admired the flowers that had been planted there.

"Tell me, Elsa, what happened to your mother? How has life treated her?"

That was a tuff question. Was her mother truly happy? Elsa certainly hoped so and most times it looked like it but was it truly so? A question she would not find an answer to now so she chose her next words carefully.

"It's hard to speak for my mother but my father worships the ground she walks on and she seems to have fulfilled her childhood dream despite everything and became a doctor after all."

Rue's reaction was stronger than she accepted – stopping dead in her tracks she laid a hand on her chest and for a horrible second, Elsa thought the old woman was about to have a heart attack but then she saw the look of pure joy on her face.

"You don't know how happy I am to hear that. She has such a gift its good to hear that it did not go to waste."

And suddenly it came to Elsa that her mother was like Maren had said, a real fighter. She had been an orphan in a foreign land, could tell no one where she came from, who she really was, all alone and so young -yet she pulled through all that and build a life for herself to be proud of.

Just like her family would have wanted.

They continued their way and while answering Rue's questions, Elsa looked for something that stood out, anything that -

_'Oh'_

Now it was the blond's turn to stop dead in her tracks, and Rue next to her started laughing and understanding her hand finding its way on Elsa's arm.

It was a depiction of great beauty, directly painted on the hospital wall, showing a glacier, gleaming with the night sky, surrounded by stars – it was like a window to another time and place where a great and dangerous power resided - one of the best painting Elsa had ever seen.

"Ah, we have found it. I remember how it looked. I still could see it when it was finished. A true masterpiece and drawn by your grandfather I might add." Rue spoke, pating Elsa's arm fondly.

"Which one?"

"Yesti. He was a true talent, his paintings renowned around the land. Before this building became a hospital it had been destroyed by Dam and we nearly lost this masterpiece forever. But luck was on our side this wall with this painting stayed mostly unharmed. Only a few slight restorations were needed. Not like the rest of the building let me tell you! It took countless hours for hard-working hands to fix what Dam had broken." Rue said.

Elsa had so many questions, she could barely decide which one to ask next but a loud voice stopped them.

"Rue?! I - how could you?!"

Iloh came around the corner, slightly out of breath and Elsa had too really tried not to laugh, but the expression of utmost betrayal on her face was almost comical.

With wide strides she reached them, putting her hands on her hips, her stern unseen by the old healer.

"Why Rue? I asked you to wait before you show her. I wanted to take in the look on her face when she sees it for the first time."

"I am sorry, child. But it just did not cross my mind that your young, strong legs could not reach us in time and I must have missed the point of return. Forgive an old blind woman?"

Iloh looked like she just took a huge bite out of a lemon and Elsa had to hide another smile, and she got the feeling that Rue often pulled the 'I-am-old-and-blind' – card just to mess with people.

Iloh leat out a defeated sigh, before turning to Elsa.

"Of course! It's not important what I think anyway! Elsa- How do you like the surprise? Did I pick a good one?" Iloh asked, her grin wide and honest.

Elsa turned to face the picture again, taking in its beauty, Yesti's face in her mind from the picture Mrs.Nattura had shown her clearly in her mind, making it easy to imagine him working.

Had he enjoyed working just as much as Elsa did? Had he forgotten all around him too, not feeling fatigued, hunger, or thirst? Lost in a concentration that came close to a trance-like state?

Her heart may be aking, longing to meet someone that was impossible to reach, her gratitude knew no bounds.

"The best," she said, knowing that no word where enough to describe how he felt now.

Iduna was in a good mood. Her night shift was almost over and it had been a pleasantly quiet one at that.

A rare treat in her line of work and the prospect of being free for the rest of day was more than enough to put her in high spirits.

All patients were taken care of, her paperwork was done and for once there was little less to do than sharing a coffee with her colleges - a very rare, very pleasant occasion indeed.

So she left her office, her feet caring her to her desired destination without her doing much, the way to the lifesaving coffee machine memorized years ago, only to be stopped by a loudly whispered –

“Hey Iduna, check this out!”

Iduna turned only to find Megara Giatrósko, or Meg for her coworkers, not looking at her, but gesturing with her head to come closer, holding two steaming cups of coffee in her direction and that was enough to draw her in.

“Thanks.” She said tiredly and slightly bewildered as Meg gave her both cups but took a sip from one anyway, loving the taste, yet giving her collogue a deadpan look.

“Meg, are you going to tell me why I need two cups of coffee or do I have to guess.“

“Hush and look!” Meg said, pointing ahead and Iduna turned, looking out the huge window only to see her daughter's red car, desperately trying to get into the parking slot, only to fail and try yet again. Her daughter was a good driver and whatever caused this sudden lack of skill must be bad.

"You better get down there and talk to her. I cover for you."

Eternal gratefulness filled Iduna's heart. How did she deserve colleges like Meg and the others?

"Thanks." Iduna said before heading out, still in her white coat, worry making her nearly run spilling some of the coffee on the ground before she restrained herself, walking calmly to further unsettle her clearly distressed daughter.

Anna had stopped trying to park the car. When Iduna reached her she saw that she had rested her head on the wheel, her face half-hidden between her hands - the picture of utter defeat.

Iduna felt her heart reach out for her daughter, and without thinking she let her body do the same, balancing the cups with a slight cling on the roof of the car that made her daughter jump and lift her head so fast that it must have hurt. She looked at Iduna with big, almost fearful eyes, reminding her of a time so long were thunder let Anna flee from her bed in the middle of the night, scared, her tiny feet making little thuds that would wake Iduna no matter how deep she slept before, ready to wove her arms around her youngest child, soothing her back to sleep, with an old trick.

A gentle finger stroking down a small nose was enough to make Anna calm down again but Iduna knew that this time it would not be so simple but she took it as a good sign that she accepted the hug that was offered. She even scooted a little to the side so Iduna could sit next to her on the driver's seat, may it be a little awkward.

Anna laid her head on her shoulder, taking a deep breath like she was bracing herself and Iduna knew it was better not to interrupt now.

Another shuddering drew breath and another, and then she spoke kind of fast like she wanted to get it out before her courage left her again.

"Mom, why did you never told us that you were from Northuldra?"

Nothing could have prepared Iduna for that! Sure, she had started to show interest in the Northuldra culture, a book there a traditional recipe at family dinner here – all in preparation of the big talk, where she would finally be honest with them all. But she had not planned it to be so soon, so sudden!

 _'How?! When?!_ '

Last thoughts before all around her stepped out of focus, lost in a raging storm that deafened her, made it hard to breathe, too many memories and nothing to hold on to, to stop her from drowning, and above all a mind-numbing fear!

Nothing came through – except one thing!

"Mom? Mom?!"

Her daughter's voice, muffled still, barely audible through the ringing in her ears, managed to ground her, made it possible for her to draw a shaky breath, batteling down her fear like she had not needed for so long.

"Mom, it's ok! Breath – in and out." Iduna heard Anna say, felt a hand on her back and tired to as her daughter told her.

In and out, in and out – deep breaths, again and again until the storm calmed but left a sea of emotions behind that was now moved, waves still reaching highs and crashing down with a force that left Iduna on edge and exhausted at the same time. Carefully she released the death grip she had on her daughter's shoulder, her whole body feeling like she had just run a marathon.

"Anna, I..." she had to swallow thickly, her throat so dry all of a sudden that it became hard to speak.

"Mum, it's fine, I am not mad ..or anything like that! I am just really, really confused! Why didn't you tell us? Elsa and me, we had a right to know!"

How could she answer this? How could she explain the fear she had grown up in, the loss she had experienced? How could she make Anna, who, thank the goods, only knew safety and comfort, understand what even the slightest mistake could have cost them all?

The silence grew longer, but not thicker. Her daughter did not press her for answers, even though she must want them badly. She only looked at her with so much patience, love and understanding that pride bloomed in Iduna's chest, her mother's heart touched in a way that happened more often lately, a bittersweet ache when thinking of the small children her girls once had been, met with the reality of the grown and strong women they had become.

"Does dad even know?" Anna asked carefully like she tried not to push too hard and unsettle her again.

Iduna only managed to shake her head, and even Anna was patient, it was all moving too fast – she could not keep up. Her breathing threatened to become labored again but luckily her daughter seemed to understand, her tone even softer now.

"Look, I assume you had good reasons but I really need to hear them! And dad and Elsa too."

Iduna could only look at her daughter.

How could she deny her that? She deserved the truth, nothing less – they all did!

"Ofcourse!" she finally managed to choke out, already gathering strength to tell her everything but Anna interrupted her.

"Wait. I have an idea to make it easier! You are free now right?"

"Yes."

"Ok, wait here I get your things."

Gently Anna made them both stand, sat her mother on the passenger seat, and gave her the cups of coffee Iduna had placed there and quickly hurried of.

It did not take long for her to come back, Iduna's bag, and jacket with her, reclaiming her cup and emptying it with one long sip, before turning the keys, bringing the car to life.

"Where are we going?" Iduna asked carefully, not really sure if she was ready for the answer.

Anna's gaze had not lost anything of its softness but there was this familiar gleam there now too, that always light her eyes when she thought she had a good idea.

"Trust me, mom. It will be fine."

How could she do anything else **but** trust her child?

So she leaned back, trying to relax and brace herself for what was to come.

Agnarr Arendelle had the most pleasant day. He had left office early today, with some of his work under held under his arm, and a clear plan in mind. Iduna was free for the rest of the day and the day after that. He would wait for her, cater to her needs like he so rarely got the chance to, and just enjoy a nice evening together.

He loved his daughters to pieces, yet he could not deny how nice it was to be undisturbed with his wife.

A light fluttery feeling flooded his chest, reminding him of the first exciting weeks of dating Iduna, or their time as newlyweds.

How Anna did call it again – ah yes ‘second spring’.

Whatever it was Agnarr was akin to enjoy it, and even though he was sure Iduna was happy too, there was something in her eyes when she thought he was not looking – something close to pain, a longing for a thing Agnarr had no name for.

For a few crazy seconds, he feared that another man had managed to steal his way into her heart but there was simply no way Iduna would betray him like that. End of discussion!

They had known each other since childhood, had been friends long before they became a couple.

If there was a person he trusted with his life it would be his wife.

Maybe it was just that her birthday came closer. She felt always a bit forlorn on this day. Having no parents or other family to celebrate them with was certainly not a pleasant thing. But like every year he would give it is all to chase away the clouds over her head and make her smile this smile of hers that had stolen his heart at age twelve.

 _'And if you want something you gotta put in the effort!'_ he thought resolutely and got to work. Cleaning the house, which was not a huge mansion but a, to his father's great dismay, quite small middle-class home, just enough for a family of four, was a task he had always liked in away.

Cleaning was calming, the thousand little steps it took until a home was feeling well homely again memorized to perfection and Agnarr could go on autopilot and quickly the deed was done, the house clean and comfortable jut like Iduna liked it.

The traditional Northuldra dish, something fairly complicated looking with nuts, and a weird kind of herb he had looked ages to find, had been an easy choice for Iduna had started showing great interest in this culture, spending a lot of her free time researching and sharing her findings with him.

_'How were they called again? Ah did not matter Iduna would love it and she can tell me all about it I am sure.'_

It was very interesting but mostly it was adorable how much she seemed to enjoy talking about this land and its people. Maybe the next holiday should lead them to this land that had seemed to captivated his wife's every free moment.

What a good idea indeed! He would talk with Iduna and see if they could take one or two weeks off together and he was already brimming with excitement at the new idea as unpacked the big guns for this evening.

A new bowtie for Olaf.

One call was enough and the friendly, surprisingly sprite old Tom came obediently, a friendly meow as greeting. He held very still as Agnarr put on the new collar with the tie and it was not the first time that Agnarr suspected the white cat liked to be dressed up as well.

Agnarr had chosen well, the black velvet of the tie a very pleasant contrast on the shining white coat of the cat, gleaming like freshly fallen snow.

Never in her life Iduna would admit that she loved it when the old family cat wore cute stuff like this.

Smiling down at Olaf he gave him a fond pat on the head before walking towards the kitchen, putting on his apron and just wanted to start to cook but then the door opened, his wife and youngest daughter rushing in.

"Iduna?"

It was all he could manage, his wife looked like she had been crying and there was something so lost in her eyes that it broke his heart. Without thinking he took her in his arms, an attempt to calm her but that seemed to make it worse for Iduna broke into heart-wrenching sobs.

Anna's expression was not exactly calming either. She looked like she was sorry?

"What is going on, Anna?" he asked, hoping to get an explanation for all this.

"You better sit down for this one dad," Anna said, leaving no room for argument as she gently leads them to the living room.

Never had Anna seen her father so confused, so hit over the head. He sat quietly, had listened carefully as his wife had confessed while Anna had helped a little here and there when her mother had been to overcome with emotions to continue. And after it was finally out he just kept sitting there, still in his apron, quietly and lost in thought while Olaf had laid his head on his right knee and was purring for all he was worth, offering easy comfort.

But as her mother tentatively reached for her father's hand, Anna took it as a good sign that he did not withdraw his and as he turned to look at her mother, Anna knew they would work this out. Was there even a tiny hint of a smile on her parent's faces?

_'Gosh, they are so cute.'_

**BANG! BANG!**

Two loud knocks, that almost broke down the front door made them all jump and Anna hurried to open it, too see who in the world had this goods awful timing only to freeze dead in her tracks as she saw who stood outside.

There, tall and foreboding, with an expression on his face that made Anna swallow thickly, stood her grandfather.

Runeard Arendelle had arrived and by the look on his face, Anna became the feeling that she had lied to her mother earlier!

Nothing was going to be fine.

Elsa had to admit that Iloh and Maren had been right. She had loved that little trip, even though it took way longer than she thought it would have. The sun was already setting but it was hard to care about all the responsibilities she had skipped today again when one had such great company.

To talk with Rue had been fascinating and Iloh had been so friendly and fun, it had been really nice and as the young woman dropped her off at Maren's house before saying her goodbyes, it felt like the beginning of something promising.

But one look was on the courtyard was enough to wipe away all pleasant thoughts of blooming friendships.

_'What in the name of - WHY IS ANNA'S CAR HERE?'_

And as Elsa all but sprinted to the door terrible embarrassing thoughts of Anna sitting there, interrogating Maren while smiling knowingly, waiting for her older sister, plagued her mind.

But as she entered the kitchen she stopped dead in her tracks, barely able to grasp what she saw!

On Maren's kitchen table, carted by no other than her very hot, hopefully, soon-to-be-not-only-a-one-time-thing-thank-you-very-much, sat not only a very defeated looking Anna but her mother and father, former still in her white coat and later still in his apron, both the picture of utter exhaustion.

Only Olaf, who sat on her father's lap, all good looking with his bow tie, looking chipper, greeting Elsa with a soft meow, his purr even louder than before as all eyes in the homely kitchen turned to her.


	13. A Huge Prolem Needs A Good Drink!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Arendelle - Family is facing a huge problem and old friends finally meet each other again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So here is a long one! Have fun and take care!

This must have been one of the weirdest moments in Elsa's life, as she sat there, in the homely kitchen, with her defeated family surrounding her and a purring Olaf on her lap. The old cat had spent the last hour moving from lap to lap to the family member that needed his support the most and now it seemed to be Elsa's turn.  
She felt grateful for his warm presence as he leaned against her chest, his eyes closed in enjoyment as Elsa patted his head. And she needed all the positivity she could get for the story her family had brought along was certainly something.

Elsa had always known her grandfather was a close-minded man, proud and strict, even vengeful at times when he felt wronged but that he would go so far to practically banish his family was something even Elsa, who had faced a lot of his cruel remarks, could not have imagined.  
He was no king anymore, so real exile was no option but he was still a powerful figure in Arendelle and had a lot of possibilities to make life there practically impossible.  
After his two-hundredths call was ignored he, so Anna told her, had actually tracked Elsa's phone and after knowing where she really was tried to reach Anna and get the truth and after she did not pick up either and did not show up for work he personally drove to every possible place he could think of to finally catch one of them and his first thought had been, of course, the house of his son, where he caught nearly all of the Arendelle family.

It was easy imagining him, tall and opposing as he demanded an explanation. At first, it had looked like he was listening, Anna told further, trying to understand but then -

“He went all ridged and you know, straightened his shoulders like he always does when he makes a decision, and then he just, I don't know how else to say it but – he just got rid of us. One by one. Like we weren't useful to him anymore....and as dad said he would stand by mum well....he just got rid of him too.”

Anna had trailed off this point, her eyes blinking rapidly as he bit her lower lip and Olaf had all but jumped from Induna's lap into Anna's, making Maren who was preparing dinner jump at the sudden movement of the cat.  
The old guy had stood on his hind legs, his front paws on Anna's shoulders, pumping his huge head against Anna's face, making the redhead laugh before she continued her bitter tale of how the family got practically exiled.

Runeard had fired her father and Anna herself, both had worked in his company, on the spot and told them to tell Elsa 'that she too was no longer welcomed and could stay with the scum she chose to have around' and that he would do all he could, which was quite a lot, to make sure that none of them would ever find work in Arendelle again.

He could not fire mother, but he was good friends with most of the faculty board and the highest donator the hospital had and Elsa had to agree with Anna who had bitterly stated he would see to it the mother would lose her job too and no matter how much her colleagues might push against it. And by the broken look in her mother's eyes, Elsa could tell that she would resign herself if it meant to protect the Hospital from losing such an important money source. Not to mention the personal and professional problems anyone who spoke against Runeard would have to face were simply too severe to let anyone threw themselves under the bus for them.

So Anna had done the next right thing that came to mind – bringing the rest of the family together!  
Without further hesitation she loaded her parents and Olaf in the car and drove to Northuldra, trying to call Elsa over and over again. The blond winced slightly as she thought of her obnoxious ringing phone disturbing the peace in Maren's home. After the tenth call or so, Maren had decided to invade Elsa's privacy, correctly sensing that it must be something important and took the call, explaining to Anna where Elsa was and that it was best to come to her house first, telling her how to get there.

For a second Elsa was unsure how to react to the fact that Anna had talked to Maren? How much had her sister heard of her confession before her phone died? Had she talked on the phone, with their parents in the back, listening to every word?  
But then she realized she talked about Anna, her sister would never put her on the spot like this. End of Story!

Suddenly a wave of hot, vile anger burned Elsa's throat, calling her into action, bringing her close to just get into the car and drive home and punch this old …...unpleasant man in the face! But then she remembered that her car was still a mess and was actually a work car and belonged to her grandfather when she thought about it, and the flame in her chest went out with a sad sizzle. What else she thought belonged to her was actually his?  
It just was getting better and better. There was so much to think of.  
No jobs, no money, and Anna and herself would not be able to hold their apartments much longer this way. Sure they could move all back into the small house that belonged to their parents but they would not be able to work in their chosen fields, or doing any work at all, to be honest. Runeard would probably sue every coffee shop that dared to hire them for the dumbest reason possible. It would be hell.

A huge mess if Elsa ever saw one! And in a way, it was her fault. She was the one that did not answer any of her grandfather's calls, making him suspicious in the first place. She had called Anna and just dropped this bomb on her

“I am so sorry,” she whispered and for the second time this evening, all eyes were on her.

“What do you mean?” her mother asked, but she looked like she already knew the answer as she spoke for the first time this evening, her blue eyes full of worry and understanding as she looked at Elsa and the blond could not stand to look at her further, averting her eyes, closing herself off.  
But it seemed like her mother was not ready to accept that. Elsa could not see it but she heard a chair being pushed back, shuffling, and then the quick, yet elegant strides of her mother, she could distinguish without looking. Something warm was wrapped around her shoulders.

 _'Mother's shawl'_ Elsa thought before she was pushed a little to the side so her mother could share the cair and the trademark war hug of her mother engulfed her.

“Little snow, all of this was not your fault. Do you understand!”

Her mother spoke softly, combing through her hair and Elsa felt how some tear slipped down her cheeks she did not know she was holding back.

“If anything -” her mother spoke further, wiping away the tears, smiling at her eldest daughter:”-it is my fault. I should have been honest with you much sooner. But I was scared scared of what could have happened that I.....”

Her mother took a deep and shuddering breath, her clear struggle with tears made Elsa nearly lose it too but her father moved to her other side moving a chair so that they now two chairs they could share. His long arms allowed him to hug them both and as he pulled them both and as Elsa looked up at him she saw that he was looking at her mother, understanding in his eyes.

“It's alright, dear. Don't get me wrong – I wished you would have told me sooner but I must also admit that I am pretty sure I would have done the same in your situation and more if I am honest. And the reaction of my father was unforgivable. So **I** should **apologize** for him.”

“Really? You forgive me?”

“Ofcourse,” he said, his voice thick with emotions.

The look in her parent's eyes was something to behold, full of love and affection, beautiful – no doubt but it made Elsa feel a little out of place, awkward even but luckily Anna came to her rescue.  
With the madly purring Olaf in her arms, she let herself fall down on their laps, making them all reach out automatically to make sure she did not fall, hurting herself by doing this crazy trust exercise.

“And I forgive you all! You mom for not telling me about Northuldra sooner, you dad for picking such a bad father, and you Elsa for dropping that bomb on me without a warning first! Please, sis, don't do that again or I might get a heart attack.” Anna deadpanned, making them all laugh, their father reaching down to ruffle the red hair of his daughter lovingly.

“But what are we going to do now?” Iduna asked, no one in particular and Elsa was surely not the only one in this room who had no answer for that.

“I actually have two ideas,” Maren said smiling, making Elsa jump a little. She almost had forgotten about Maren for few moments and suddenly the awkwardness of having the woman she had been intimate with only a few hours ago, had her whole family, including her fricking cat, sitting on her kitchen table!

_'Yeah, that is sexy - having the whole family under the roof of your potential......well, we will see what she is going to be. Just perfect! Please don't run for the hills, Maren!'_

But the brunette proofed her kindness yet again, as she had worked quietly in the background and held now the fruits of her efforts in her hands. A huge pot of a stew, its smell mouth-watering and the stomachs of the whole Arendelle family seemed to be thinking alike, all rumbling unison.

“Glad to hear that my first idea will probably fall on open ears! Have something to eat before you make any more decisions.” Maren said, and her parents smiled at the comment, nothing out of order there, but then Elsa caught Anna's look and the knowing glance her sister gave her made her cheeks turn pink. Anna even gave Maren a subtle up and down as she stood up, before looking at Elsa again, giving her and thumbs up and a look that screamed 'Not bad sis!'.

_'Fuck!! She heard it all! All of it!! Ok, don't panic Elsa! She looks cool with it, does she look cool with it?'_

“But what about Olaf? I am afraid I forgot to take food along for him. Sorry buddy!” her father cooed, interrupting her internal panic, and the old tom jumped from Anna's arms in his, allowing him to cradle him like a baby

“I think I have some fish in the fridge. I hope it's enough for today?”

“Oh thank you! Of course, it will do. Olaf loves fish. May I?”

Elsa watched in amusement as her father pointed to the fridge, already in full 'Pampering- Olaf' mode as he barely waited until Maren nodded in agreement until he opened the fridge with one hand while the other still held the cat, quickly finding the fish.

“Oh look, Olaf! Salmon. Aren't you a lucky boy!” he smiled down at Olaf, gently putting him down, before turning to Maren.

“Sorry to take charge like this but Olaf is very particular with his food and I can not look in the mirror if we would give you even more extra work after being so kind to us. Hope that is alright?”

Maren seemed stunned for a second, before catching herself remarkably quick.

“Of course not. Do you need anything else?”

Elsa noticed how her mother and Anna had to hold in their laughter, looking anywhere but Angnarr and Maren as the man started to ramble to the young woman about how important it was to get the fish bones out and that the fish had to be held under warm water for a moment when it came fresh out of the fridge to not upset the cat's stomach and on and on.  
It was a little embarrassing, Elsa had to admit but as she watched Maren listen to her father patiently, fakeing interest in a very convincing way, she felt something settle in her chest, like a tiny seed of warmth she had no time to panic over as her mother asked Maren something while her husband barley realizing that Maren was talking to someone else.

“And the other idea?“

“With your permission, I would call someone who has been dying to see you again for nearly 34 years now,” Maren said, carefully softly, like she had foreseen the effect her words would have on the older woman who was now clutching her hands together in front of her chest, probably going through all the options she could remember.

_'Does mother even know of the terrible fate her family had suffered? Has Maren told her already? Had her mother even dared to ask?'_

“Who?”

“An old friend.”

Her mother seemed to understand who Maren meant, her eyes full of tears, her hand pressed against her mouth as she nodded, making Maren smile as she grabbed her phone and dialed the number.

“You better eat then. As soon she hears you are here she come down here faster the eagle can fly!”

Skjolda loved her son but she really had to work on resisting his puppy dog eyes or she would spend the rest of her days slugging threw this great amount of bank statements of hundreds of former Dam-members, and old and new reports of sightings, sorting them after day and year, all in the nearly hopeless effort to find a trace of Gelwa Gatar.

Luckily she was not the only one who was powerless against the soulful blue eyes of her son.

Issun was a given! The stout young man was lost to the lovesickness and would probably spend his life, giving in to more than he ever dreamed of as long as Ryder asked him and her husband? Well, Fiskar had been always too soft with their children.

Yet the lack of progress was frustrating, to say the least, and Skjold was close to just give up, the numbers and letters started to swim before her eyes and she was tired!  
A deep sigh escaped her, as she discarded yet another report of Gelwa's whereabouts as utter rubbish. She leaned back into her chair, rubbing her eyes and choosing to ignore the side glances of her family as she grabbed the folder that held so little of what they had managed to verify as fact about Gelwa's case.

For a moment Skjolda looked at the photo of the girl. So young, so alone, the freckles on her cheeks reminded her of Maren at that age..... Skjolda did not need long to make her decision.

Suddenly she closed the folder again and as she stood up the eyes of the gathered men following her as she resolutely walked to the small drawer next to her side of the bed, opened the bottom drawer and looked at the case she found there like it was her worst enemy.

But this situation called for drastic measures!  
So she grabbed the case and the blasted thing it contained and went back to the living room.

As she entered all three men hurried to look down on their work again, their faces typically expressionless.

Skjolda decided not to care and sat down again, opening the case and pulling on her reading glasses, with as much dignity she could muster, her finger barely touching the frame.  
She hated wearing this thing, the foregoing weight on her nose annoyed her to no end.

 _'It's only because you are not wearing them more often, as you should! You would get used to them that way.'_ she heard the voice of her daughter in her head. Maren was right of course but like Skjolda would ever admit that and she made a point to never wear them when Maren was around, claiming she could read perfectly fine without them.

But the truth was - they made reading so much easier, allowing her to get more work done before she got too tired and if it means to get this child back Skjolda would slug threw a mountain of these papers, a mountain as high as the North Mountain if necessary, spent hours of her life trying to find the smallest hint and she would even wear her glasses while doing it if it meant to get the job done faster.

There was only one thing she needed to say before she got started.

“One word to Maren about this it will have dire consequences!“ she said without looking up, feeling how all three were stealing glances at her, Ryder and Issun barely able to hold in their laughter.

Her husband next to her did not laugh though, smiling smugly down at her.

“I love when you wear those.” he said in a slightly lower voice:” You look like a sexy librarian.”

Ryder and Issun stopped giggling abruptly and Skjolda nearly broke out into hysterical laughter herself at their faces. Issun was the picture of utter embarrassment, looking like he wanted to be anywhere else but here and Ryder looked almost offended!

“Dad!! Stop that!”

“What? I can't help it that your mother is so h-”

“OK!!! I make coffee!!! Issun you want to help me?”

“Yes, thank you! I mean....thank you.”

And off they went to the kitchen.

Skjolda did not look up from the paper she was reading, yet she knew Fiskar was watching her, smiling, pleased with himself, and waiting for her approval.

“That was a mean joke.” she scolded, yet she barely could hold in her smile.

“It was no joke,” he said simply and as Skjolda looked at him she felt her cheeks getting hot.

“You really look great with these on,” he whispered, making sure the two in the kitchen could not hear him.

_'Damn that smile of his! It's going to be the death of me!'_

The ringing of her phone interrupted Skjolda before she could answer her husband. Slightly annoyed at the interruption she grabbed her phone, a picture of a smiling Maren looking back up at her.

“It's our daughter so I am gonna take that but hold that thought Mr.Nattura.”

“Yes, Mrs. Nattura.” he said, as she touched his shoulder while taking the call.

“Hello my sweet, what is it?”

_“Hey Mam, are you sitting down?”_

This question surprised Skjolda but she knew her daughter would have a good reason to ask this.

“Yes.”

_“Are you promising you won't get a heart attack at what I am about to tell you?”_

This just got weirder and weirder.

“I think I can't guarantee it that I won't get a heart attack but I try my best!” She said, humoring her daughter, and sharing a look with Fiskar, shrugging her shoulder as he mouthed _'What?'_ , not really sure herself what was going on here.

_“Ok, here goes nothing then – mam, she is back.”_

Maren did not need to say her name, Skjolda knew who she meant and suddenly she felt very lucky that she was sitting down. Her hands were shaking and she had to blink quickly to hold back her tears. It was not the time to cry. She had cried enough over her lost friend. Now was the time to finally see her again.

“Where is she?”

_“In my kitchen eating dinner and -”_

Skjolda did not listen further! She threw the phone on the table and dashed past it, pushing over a pile of photos and other papers in the progress. Yet she did not stop, ripping the door of her house open, whistling loudly as she ran in the direction of her daughter's house, her reindeer Skillt catching up with her after a few paces. She mounted him while running, begging him to go as fast as he could, the swift beast heading his owner's call with all he had!  
She did not see how her husband, after exchanging a few quick words with Maren, followed her in great haste that matched hers, leaving their puzzled son and his fiancee behind.  
Both were not there to witness the discovery Issun made as he picked the pictures up, Skjolda had accidentally thrown them to the ground.  
With his eyes huge he grabbed Ryder's arm, pulling him over before pointing to the picture in his hand, a picture of a huge crowd that had gathered somewhere, obviously celebrating something, as almost all people let gleaming lanterns rise in the air.  
But there in the background, nearly out of the frame and easy to miss if someone was not looking closely was Gelwa Gatar, being pulled somewhere by a pale hand that had grabbed her arm tightly.

The food was excellent, Iduna had to admit, almost as good as she remembered. This Honeymaren, or Maren as she had offered Iduna to call her, was not just a very kind person but also a good cook.  
A good thing really.  
She was famished and she needed her strength if she wanted to get through......all this. Not enough that her father-in-law had all but thrown them all out like disobedient dogs after hearing the truth, there were also so many people she wanted to see desperately, yet she was afraid to hear of their fates.  
When it came to her family she allowed herself no illusions, she probably had lost them all in the mad ravings of Damn or anyone would surely have reached out after Damn had been beaten? Or had they had waited to keep her safe? Waiting, leaving Iduna in the unknown, as she did to her husband and daughters in the desperate attempt to keep them unharmed?  
No, better not get your hopes up, better concentrate on what lay right ahead, like she always had done.  
But how was she supposed to face Skjolda after all this time? Was she disappointed in her? Or mad?  
What when she hated her now?

The familiar sound of a reindeer running full speed reached her ears and Iduna knew the time of questioning herself was over. Suddenly she wanted nothing more then to see her friend again. She stood up so suddenly that all around her jumped a little as she stormed out of the kitchen eager to meet Skjolda outside but as she turned into the hallway the door of the house opened and there she was.

Different, yes.

Older, yes.

But still Skjolda, still her friend, that was like a sister to her, the one person she literally had stolen horses with.

Both stood there, looking at each other taking in every detail of the other, seeing what had remained the same and what had changed.

“By the spirits, you have grown tall.” Skjolda said, her eyes suspiciously wet, and her voice thick with emotions.

“And you have remained a dwarf.” she automatically teased, falling back into the old back and forth they had going on, so long ago, making them both laughed.  
That broke the spell and Skjolda walked over to her, her arms outstretched and without hesitating she opened her arms for the woman, her heart swelling with joy as tears run down her cheeks.

“Is this gray hair I see there?” her friend tried to tease, but she was crying madly and a hiccup made it hard for her to speak further.

“And since when do you need glasses? Turned into a mole with age?”

More tears, and what little composer she had left went straight out the window as the door opened again and a tall man entered the house.

Skjolda was so small that it was easy to look over her head straight into the man's face, and even though he had changed much more dramatically since his childhood days she recognized Fiskar immediately, his blue eyes and kind smile still the same like they had been so many years ago.

“Fiskar.” she said, reaching out her hand for him, and with two steps he was with them, hugging them both, laughing and crying at the same time.

And for this moment there was no room for worries or sadness nor shame in Iduna's heart!

Only happiness to be home again!

It took a while until the three in the hallway were ready to part from each other, but now they all had settled in Maren's living room, talking, catching up, or getting to know each other.

The news that her childhood friend had indeed married another of her childhood friends was a source of great wonder for her mother and as Mr.Nattura revealed the Maren was indeed their daughter, Elsa had to hide her smile as her mother acted like she saw Maren for the first time, comparing the striking similarities with Mr.Nattura over and over again, while Mrs.Nattura fussed over Anna while chiding her daughter that she had not called as soon as the Arendelle's arrived or told Iduna who she was:

"Mam, all were tired when they arrived here. I was not even sure if it was wise to call you over this evening."

"You sound like Yelena." Mrs, Nattura said, making Mr. Nattura and Iduna snort, while Maren rolled her eyes but the ringing of her phone called for her attention yet again and she left the living room.

Elsa had never seen her mother so happy, so free, so beautiful and the blond felt content to just watch them all, basking in the glow of a reunion and new meetings. The way her father and Mr.Nattura hit it off was simply adorable and Anna clearly enjoyed the attention she got.  
Olaf was sitting on her lap, sleeping deeply and as she looked around she noticed that Maren was still standing in the hallway, her face serious as she spoke to whoever was on the phone. Something about her face made Elsa nervous, anxious even.  
But before she could investigate further she heard the clinking of glasses and as she turned and looked she saw Mrs.Nattura with a few glasses and a bottle she had gotten who knows where.  
It was filled with blood-red liquid.

“When this is not calling for a drink I don't know what is? Who wants one?”

“Where did you get this stuff?” her mother asked, wonderment in her eyes as he took the bottle in her hands, turning it carefully.

“Maren got this as a birthday gift once but she is not much of a drinker, so she won't be mad if we relieve her of this. Don't worry.” Mrs. Nattura said, waving her hands dismissively in the direction of her daughter.

“Well, this day could certainly use some booze.” Anna said, all for it making Mrs. Nattura laugh.

"Anna!" Iduna said, slightly shocked but smiling.

"What? I lost my job today and my grandfather hates me because of my heritage so let me drink, mom!"

That actually made Iduna laugh out loud and she offered no further objections!

“Ah, a woman after my own heart. Here you go!” Maren's mother said and before Elsa knew it she too had a glass in hand, and as all were toasting, Elsa could not help but think that Anna had a point there.

This day was in dire need of a good drink!

 _'Fuck it!'_ Elsa thought and with one big swig, she emptied the glass in one go, not knowing that this was the beginning of a very interesting night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Don't worry! No time skip to sobber, Elsa. Next chapter you get drunken Elsa and Maren's POV dealing with her. Can't wait to write this one :-)  
> Stay save!


	14. The Strangest Game Of Tag

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Maren is a hopeless sap!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally chapter 14! Have fun. Until then stay safe!

_'What a rollercoaster ride of a day.'_ Honeymaren Nattura thought as she finished her report to Yelena why the whole Arendelle family was sitting in her living room and just like her, Yelena shared her concerns. The way Runeard Arendelle had reacted seemed a bit overkill in Maren's book. Sure it could be that he was just a big asshole who hated all that was not Arendelle or he did this for another reason Maren had no clue about. Be it what it will but she had a bad feeling about this and her leader had agreed to take a closer look, ordering Maren to make sure the Arendells were safely hosted and discreetly guarded at all times.

 _'Would I like to guard Elsa at all times!'_ Maren thought only to kick herself mentally.

_'Concentrate! Yelena is still talking....'_

But it was hard to focus on the words of her chieftess when thinking of Elsa was so much more alluring. It took a lot of willpower to listen to the orders she was given.

It did not help that there were loud voices and laughter from the living room, and Maren was sure her father told one of his admittedly funny stories or her mother was sharing and an extra embarrassing tale of her childhood, no doubt. But would be nice if they could be a little quieter!

Slightly annoyed she pressed one hand on her phone free ear, a half-successful attempt to shut out the background noises.

As she listened to Yelena's tight voice, taking her orders with a grim determination, it was hard to believe that only a few hours ago Maren had been floating on air, feeling so happy like...never before to be honest and it was a relief as her leader was finished and Maren could hang up.

The way Elsa made her feel – it was hard to describe and, to be frank, Maren was afraid to put what had been planted in her heart by blue eyes, tender hands, and a smile that probably could melt ice.

_'It surely melts me every time I see it.'_

For spirit's sake, she felt like such a cliche!

 _'Sure, Nattura! Let the beautiful mysterious woman from another country with a trunk full of cheese turn your world upside down. Oh, and while you're at it - why not offering her to stay with you forever?'GET A GRIP!_ ' she thought while letting out a frustrated sigh, hating herself a little for actually liking the thought of Elsa staying in Nothuldra.

Maren took a deep breath, before straightening her shoulders. She had to do her duty now! No time for dwelling on feelings or memories of a night, spend with a breathtaking woman that made Maren weak in her knees with a mere curve of her lips, turned her into a madly flirting teenager again, who desperately wanted to impress and please.

 _'Alright, you go in there, tell these people that you have to put them under the protection of the Northuldran government and advice them to stay here for a while and not come across like a total lovesick fool as soon you lay eyes on Elsa! Easy.'_ the young woman thought resolutely, entering her living room.

What she saw took a moment to sink in.  
First, she saw that the living room was nearly empty, only Olaf, the snow-white cat with his little bowtie sat on her couch, happily blinking up at her, his purring loud in her ear.

For a moment they looked at each other – the woman and the cat and the way he tilted his head, felt almost apologetic to Maren, as he wanted to say – 'Sorry for them. They are just weird sometimes.'

A cold gust of wind hit Maren, making her shiver and only now she realized that both windows that gave you a nice view of the courtyard, were wide open!

As she made a big circle around the cat, not leaving her out of her sight, Maren saw that the sugar cubes she had provided for Mr.Arendelles tea were gone. That above all made no sense! Why the sugar cubes? 

She made her way to the window on the right only to nearly slip on something hard and round, catching herself by grabbing the edge of the couch.  
Annoyed she looked down, trying to make out what nearly made her break her neck only to find an empty bottle. She turned it around, gasping as she read the name on the label, trying to get back on her feet only to find herself suddenly face to face with the cat, its huge blue eyes taking her in, his little pink nose too close to her own.

Maren quickly put some distance between them, her breath a little labored as she finally reached the window, the bottle still in hand.

One look outside made her forget the cat and her stolen sugar cubes immediately.

Her courtyard was a mess, a bucket that rolled around, making a hollow sound in the cold night, the ground and the little patch of once well-kept lawn were trampled on by many hooves and her chickens were outside their coop.

Quickly Maren closed both windows, went outside, locked her spooked chickens back into the coop, closing the door tightly so no fox thought about paying them a visit, before taking a closer look at the trampled ground.

Years of practice made it easy to get a picture of what had happened as she followed the trail until she reached the treeline, starring in disbelief in the gloomy darkness.

 _'They didn't!'_ Maren thought, not ready to believe what she saw but the tracks spoke a different language.

_'They did.'_

With a great sigh, she hit her flat hand against her forehead, before whistling. It was a different pattern than the one she used for Vakker.

She had not bothered to call for the black deer, having seen the track of the traitor, that had been her most faithful reindeer, among the ones of her parent's mounts.

Silent and shimmering like a ghost in the light of stars and moon provide came Juusto .  
He was a very smart deer, beautiful too, his fur almost white like freshly fallen snow and his body strong and healthy. The only catch was that he knew that he was a sight to behold and Maren swore sometimes that he was born with the smug look on his face.

Now was no difference, his face looking just like he wanted to say _'My, my what have we here?._

And as Maren jumped on his back, a muttered 'Don't ask' under her breath, she could have sworn the reindeer was snickering at her misfortune before both followed the hard to miss trail the others left behind.

It took not long to catch up to her father, the tall man crouching down trying to make sense of the tracks on the ground, and anxious Mr.Arendelle standing close by, patting the old Mogi who seemed to enjoy the attention immensely as he munched on spirits knows what.

Both men looked up as Maren reached them. The young woman had to keep herself from laughing – the slight amusement on her father's face was such strong contrast to the worried expression Mr.Arendelle wore that it looked almost comical.

„Do I want to know what happened?“ Maren asked, making her father almost laugh out loud but he at least tried to cover it up with a very unconvincing cough, probably to not upset Mr.Arendelle. But he seemed to be totally focused on the tracks now, obviously trying to make sense of them, failing miserably at it.

„Well, what can I say - I was not really paying attention, talking to Agnarr here, and as I looked again our four Ladies had already drunk all of 'The stuff'. And you know what this stuff does to people before we know it there opened the windows jumped on Vakker and Skillt and of they were! For a while, we managed to stay on their heels but you know your mother.“

 _'That I do.'_ Maren thought, slightly displeased that her father found this immensely funny.

 _'Probably already practicing his retelling for the next family gathering.'_ Maren thought, before bending down, looking at the tracks.

Even in the dark, it was easy to read what was written on the ground by swift hooves.

 _'It's like a puzzle! You just have to find the next piece. Always be thorough while looking for them. Miss one and you will not find what you looking for.'_ Maren remembered the words of her teacher, patient and wise, knowing all there was to know about tracking – and Maren had been a good student, or she would have fallen for the false trail that had been masterfully done.

The young woman smiled as she stood, a warmth spreading in her chest as she understood what her mother was doing. Or had it been Elsa's idea?

„And? Do you know where they went? If anything happens to them I never forgive myself!“ Mr.Arendelle interrupted her thoughts, his urgency completely understandable yet unnecessary at the same time.

„Don't worry. There fine. Just visiting an old friend.“ Maren said, mounting Juusto, waiting for the two men to get back up on Mogi: “Let's go before 'The Stuff' really kicks in.“

It was good that Maren knew the way blindly, the now clouded sky made it harder to see than most nights.  
Her father who had Mr.Arendelle sitting behind him stayed as close as they could.  
A loud screech made them all jump and Gale came gliding like a ghost, flying slow to watch their progress with wide eyes, and as if her wings had brought fresh wind, a strong breeze pushed the clouds aside, allowing the moon to illuminate their path.

It did not take long to get to the lake, and sure enough there they were. All four unharmed and right as rain.

Nokk seemed to be delighted as well, prancing around her mam and Mrs.Arendelle, obviously recognizing Iduna even though she could have been no more than a small foal back then. It was a sight behold how the huge, powerful, and wild horse let the two women put their arms around her neck from time to time, while she nibbled at her clothes, soft and sweet like the tamest of reindeer's.  
And this time it was not only Nokk that had come but other horses of the heard even some foals. All were very interested in the visitors and the foals pushed each other aside, all eager to get patted by Elsa and Anna, greedily eating the sugar cubes that were offered by the two.

Vakker and Skillt stood close by, grazing peacefully until the black reindeer noticed the strict gaze of her owner, guiltily hung her head while Maren facepalmed yet again and let out a deep sigh.

„By the Gods! Iduna! Anna! Elsa!“ Mr. Arendelle's call rang through the night and suddenly all eyes were on them, intruders in a meeting only meant for the ones present. All horses fled, quickly vanishing deeper into the dark forest, only Nokk remained where she was, watching as Iduna ran to her husband, throwing herself into his arms.

„Iduna! Are you hurt?“ he asked, his voice full of concern.

She looked at him, obviously not realizing what worry she had caused him. Maren saw how a slender finger was raised to Mr. Arendelles nose, playfully touching it.

„Boop! I lose.“ Mrs. Arendelle, followed by a moment of complete silence.

„What?“ Mr.Arendelle asked, completely caught off guard at the strange behavior of his wife.

„I lose, you caught me. What do you want to do with me?“ Mrs.Arendelle asked, her voice low, her arms now around her husband's neck as she tried to pull him down, but Mr.Arendelle would not budge. his stance was rigid, his shoulders stiff and his face gleamed bright red even the moonlight.

„Iduna, dear. We are not alone!“ he whispered urgently, giving Maren and her father an apologetic side glance, loosening the grip around his neck gently while still trying to support his wife.

Her father's eyes found hers and both had to look away quickly again, fighting down their laughter, and Maren saw that Nokk still had not moved from her spot, her eyes fixated on the interwoven figures of Mr. And Mrs.Arendelle.  
A moment later she must have seen enough, turning around suddenly, following her heard, taking her judgment of Mr.Arendelle with her to reveal it at a time that suited her.

Taking Nokk leaving as a good moment to end this little adventure, her father stepped forward, reaching for his wife.

„Come, darling, it's late and it's getting cold. Let's get you back home.“

But her mother seemed to have other ideas.

„You wish! I don't give up easily!“ she said, and ran, surprisingly quick for her intoxicated state, in the same direction Nokk had left. Obviously 'This Stuff' had not yet reached its tiering effect.

Fiskar did not even bother to run after her, just smiling and amusedly rolling his eyes up the heavens before he called in a sing-song voice: “I make you Kaffeost in the morning!“

That stopped her mother dead in her tracks and she slowly turned around, her eyes squinted together and her arms crossed over her chest.

„I want your cloudberry jam too!“

„Whatever you want darling.“ Fiskar said to his wife, and watched with amusement she marched past him, swung herself on Mogi, only swaying slightly while she did so, and waiting like a queen for her ride home.

Leaving only – the sisters!

Maren turned to them and it was like they had forgotten that they too would now be brought back home, blinking at up Maren from their kneeling position.  
At this moment Maren could imagine how Elsa must have been as a child - carefree, playful, and absolutely adorable. 

_'Yepp, so not a lovesick fool at all! You doing great Nattura.'_

But then Maren's thoughts were cut short as both sister's sprung up, laughing madly, like kids bolting from the kitchen caught with their hands in the cookie jar and Maren was lucky they had to start from a kneeling position and were quite drunk or she would have not been able to catch both, holding them firmly by their arms.

„No! Let me go!! I wanna cuddle the babies!!“ Anna whined, obviously talking about the foals. She pulled and pushed as strong as she could, slightly angry but as she saw that Maren was not even budging a little, she stopped her efforts, her eyes big.

„Wow, you are strong!!! Come, Elsa, you have to help me!“ she said to her sister and the blond nodded, her eyes full of determination.

„Ok, on three. One!“ Anna started her countdown.

„Wait, be careful-“ Maren tried to intervene, hoping to get some sense back into this weird night.

„Two.“ Elsa interrupted her, both sister's bending her knees a bit, like sprinters at the beginning of a race.

„Please stop.“ Maren said dryly, knowing it would make no difference anyway.

„Three!“

Both sisters called loudly into the night, throwing themselves with all their might forward, trying to break free.

But all Maren did was to tighten her grip and widened her stance a little, easily holding against the combined force of the sister's.

The look of utter astonishment was absolutely priceless, and Maren nearly laughed right in their faces, only to almost choke on said laugh, as a pale and slender hand ran up and down her arm, obviously feeling the muscles there.

„You **are** ….strong.“ Elsa said, lowly, her cheeks slightly red, her eyes meeting Maren's with an intensity that made Maren very grateful that Anna was too drunk to pick up on anything at the moment and that the other's, most importantly Elsa's parents, were occupied as well and standing far away.

„That she is! Only one thing left to do!“ Anna said loudly, before attacking Maren's side with her free hand, poking her mercilessly, making the brunette gasp and jolt away, releasing Elsa by accident.

As Anna saw that she had managed to free her sister, she all but threw herself at Maren, cling to her with both arms and making herself as heavy as possible to slow her movements.

„Run Elsa! Run!“ she called out and Elsa actually turned around and ran like the devil was behind her, her happy laugh carried by the wind back to them. She was swift like the wind, leaving Maren to stare after her in absolute astonishment, while Anna's triumphant yell was ringing in her ears.

„Elsa! Wait!“ Mr.Arendelle called out, but his daughter was long gone and he could not run after her without letting his wife fall flat on her face.

„Don't worry! I get her.“ Maren hurried to say, trying her best to sound reassuring: “You get these three home and under a warm blanket. Dad, could you?“

Maren pointed with her had to the suddenly very sleepy Anna, that only stood upright because Maren supported her.

„Ofcourse.“ her father said kindly, relieving his daughter from her burden, easily caring Anna as if she weighed nothing.

„No, don't wanna go home!“ the youngest Arendelle mumbled, but put up no fight otherwise, and Maren saw hoe her father smiled kindly down at the red-head, before speaking to his daughter.

„I bring them to our house. It's closer and I am sure we can make enough room somehow. You sure you can handle things here alone?“

„I find her. She will not come far. Let Mr. Arendelle take Vakker I take Juusto.“

She heard a gasp behind them and as she looked she saw Mr.Arendelle's worried eyes starring right back at her.

„I am afraid I don't know how to ride a reindeer.“ he said.

„Don't worry. Everyone can ride on Vakker. Elsa did so too.“ Maren said, smiling at the astonished look on Mr.Arendelle's face. He looked like he wanted to say more but Vakker had trotted up to him, nudging him gently, before laying down on the ground, waiting for him and Mrs.Arendelle to climb onto her back.

Maren turned to her father, who was smiling his usual smile but had an odd glint in his eyes.

„I leave you to it then. I send a message when I have found her.“

And with that, she jumped on Juusto's back and followed yet another trail.

Just like the first one the track was easy to follow. Elsa was fast but unused to moving in the woods and so Maren did not even have to get off her reindeer to know which way she took. Deeper and deeper her trail leads into the woods until Maren finally found her.

By what has been a mere coincidence, Elsa had discovered one of Maren's favorite places in all of Northuldra.

It was a tiny meadow, barley 20 steps wide, overgrown with almost black grass, the space you could look up into the sky and watch the stars at night or the clouds fly by at day time. The opening was so small, and through the overlapping branches of the huge trees close by, shaped in such a way that it looked almost like an eye. The eye of the sky looking back down to you while you look back up.  
But it was not the beauty of nature that made Maren freeze where she stood.

It was the woman before her.

Not her beauty though. Elsa was beautiful no doubt but it was not that what filled the young woman with a crazy joy she had trouble to grasp.  
Maren felt like she had stumbled over a fairy or a spirit like in the tales her mother used to tell her.  
Elsa looked so much at peace with herself, so at peace, with her hair flowing down her back, her guard down completely, starring up into the eye of the sky, like she always had been there, a part of this forest, and the forest would always remain a part of her no matter where she would go and that now, finally, she had come home.

 _'You belong up here.'_ Maren thought, glad she was able to bite her tongue.

_'Ok Nattura! Way too sappy and way too fast! Slow down a nudge will you!'_

But even though Maren had not spoken, she had to be making noise of some kind because Elsa turned to her, and it was a relive that she did not run again, but smiled widely, stretching her arms out like she was asking for a hug.

„Help me up?“ she said, sounding relaxed, her speech slightly slurry.

Maren complied, gently taking Elsa's hands in hers and pulled her up, making sure she was steady before she let go.

„Ok, you caught me. Let's go home now.“ Elsa said, clearly trying to speak evenly.

"What kind of game is this anyway? Tag?" Maren asked smiling at the taller woman.

"Don't know, your mother made the rules."

_'Ofcourse, she did.'_

Maren had to bit down her laugh as she asked: “Tired?“

„A little.“ Elsa admitted, before walking past her, 'The Stuff' finally kicking in in full force, making the blonde's legs wobbly.

Maren saw this, trying to reach out to Elsa to make sure she did not fall.

„Careful!“

„What? I am fine!“ Elsa said, her voice now really unfocused as she stumbled to avoid Maren's helping hand and would have fallen badly if not Juusto had stepped forward at the right moment, providing something to hold onto for the intoxicated woman.

„phee? Bhall goohd!“ Elsa said, her face buried in the reindeer's neck, probably having a nice mouthful of his fur for a midnight snack.

It must be one of the only times in Maren's life that she saw Juusto with something else as utter smugness plastered on his face.  
As he looked at the woman that clung to his neck out of the corner of his eye, before turning his eyes to her he almost looked bewildered!

'Really? Her?' his eyes seemed to scream and Maren gently patted his snout, quickly writing a message for her father so Mr.Arendelle could rest assured, before helping Elsa onto his back, finding her place right behind her, supporting her gently so she could not fall.

The ride home was uneventful even though Maren was not sure why not only Gale had decided to follow them but also Nokk. The proud animal only letting them see glimpse of her from time to time.

Not like Maren paid much mind to it anyway. Elsa had fallen asleep and the way she had leaned into her was very distracting making it incredibly hard to concentrate on anything other than the woman in her arms.

Finally, they arrived back at her house, yet it brought no relief for Maren to put some distance between them after she had placed Elsa gently down on her guest bed, removing her shoes, and placed a mug of water and a cup on her nightstand while Olaf had looked at her approvingly, before laying down, his upper body on Elsa's chest, quickly falling asleep in minutes.

A moment she looked at her handy work, before shrugging and getting a bucket, putting it close to the bed as well, just in case.

'The Stuff' was known to give vivid dreams and if Elsa was anything like Ryder and dreamed of fast-paced Karrusells..well...

 _'Better save than sorry!'_ Maren thought before heading to bed as well.

Maren laid awake long that night, too many thoughts swirling in her head, all very "helpful" things like - 'How much you can envy a freaking cat?' or 'How is it possible to miss someone you only met a few days ago so much that it was becoming hard to breathe while thinking about her?'.

What she felt know was so damn frustrating, almost maddeningly so, painful, and yet it was the most wonderful feeling she ever was allowed to feel in her whole life.

_'I hate to break it to you Nattura! But you are screwed!'_

And yet, as sleep finally found her, she could not help but be thankful for her brother's bad driving skills.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am not done with drunken Elsa! She will return. Maren will feel her whole wrath one day X-D
> 
> Stay safe and have fun.  
> Thanks for reading.


	15. Dreams Surrounded By Sleepless Nights

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Bold Ladies Adventure Squad, as I call Elsa, Anna, Iduna and Skjolda now, have survived their first adventure thanks to their spouses/future spouses/fathers. What next? Well, Elsa uses her morning wisely and Maren could not agree more.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally done! I do not apologize because of the length ;-). Have fun!  
> And look out for the ****** it marks the beginning and end of smut. If you don't like this stuff better skip, and if you do it's easier to find for you.  
> When the ***** end they are still naked for a moment but they are not doing anything!Just talking. Just a friendly warning ;-)

The moon was shining lightly through the tall window, painting his office in an eery light but Runeard Arendelle could not rest. Would not rest!  
Not yet. Not until he was sure he would accomplish his goal.  
He still had to make sure that all was ready.  
It was a good plan, a sound one, he told himself over and over again not leaving any room for doubt or second-guessing.  
He could not afford doubt or failure!  
Never had, never would.  
Too much was at stake. He had to push through!  
But he was so tired.  
He leaned back in his chair, a designer peace, worth more than most peoples monthly salary and he rubbed his eyes, the light of the computer screen made him look older then he was.  
He looked at his desk, saw the pictures of his family, and stared at their faces.  
One minute passed by, then another and another as his eyes roamed from his late wife to his son and his daughter-in-law and then his grand-daughters.  
It was a picture of Anna's graduation. Elsa stood next to her, one arm around her little sister.  
He gave himself a little push, straightened his shoulders.  
Soon his problem would be solved, his many sleepless nights would amount to something when it finally would be over.  
Resolutely he finished his e-mail, clicked the send button, and grabbed his phone.  
It was time.

Elsa dreamed so vividly, so detailed like never before! She could not know that the drink she had a few hours before, was known for giving dreams, wild and sometimes nearly unhinged, almost like a vision at times.  
She did not know that her mother, her sister, and Mrs. Nattura had equally wild dreams, similar yet not the same!

Skjolda dreamed of her family, about her daughter, in particular, a worry deep in her gut, that made her toss and turn in her sleep so much that she was woken by her husband, his worried blue eyes on her, as he asked if she was alright.  
The moment she had woken, she had forgotten what her dream was about and so she reassured her husband, both falling into a dreamless slumber this time only to wake to a slow morning that needed more Kaffeost that would have satisfied five people twice Skjolda's size.

Anna's dreamed of pleasant things, reliving fond childhood memories of playing in the snow, chasing after her sister as kids, only to pass a tree or a rock and suddenly be all grown up, yet not stopping their game. She ran after her big sister, trying her best to keep up and proud when she managed to stay ahead for a few paces!  
It was bliss and the next morning found her well-rested, hangover-free, and light like a feather.

Iduna's dreams were bittersweet. Her mother stayed glued to her side, a hand on her shoulder that had more wrinkles than she remembered. But it was the same face, from all those years ago, only slightly older, her once platinum blond hair, that her eldest daughter had inherited, was now silver-white, her smile just as gentle as it had been all those years ago and Iduna's heart ached painfully, knowing her daughters would never meet her.  
She woke at dawn with tear stains on her cheeks and never had she loved her husband more, as he did not paster her with questions or asked what was wrong. It was like he sensed that Iduna had no answer for that, so he just held her close, in the small room that once had been Ryder's childhood sanctuary.

Elsa dreamed of a tall girl running through the woods, her long hair held together in two braids that flew behind her as she ran past Anna, who aimed with a bow of all things. Elsa tried to follow the girl, rushed past her sister, through the forest, nearly as beautiful in her dreams as it was in real life.  
Next came her parents, holding each other close in the way Elsa had often seen them doing, and then, her grandfather his hole being brimming with a cold determination, but the girl did not stop and so Elsa did not linger herself, did not bother to make sense of what she saw. She was so close to catching up to the girl, so close but then she followed her past the next, suddenly tumbling over a cliff, falling, a scream on her lips but then something caught her, strong and warm, and lifted her up. Suddenly she sat on even ground, the girl she had chased out of sight and out of mind, only warmth and a wonderful smell surrounding her as she sunk deeper and deeper into the ocean of her dreams, now peaceful and calm, showing happy memories.

The door to Maren's room had opened the slightest of squeaks.  
With a jolt, the brunette was awake, grabbed her staff, which always stood close to her bed, ready to fight, pointing her weapon forward right into Elsa's face!  
There she was - tall, her hair loose and slightly ruffled from lying in bed, still so breathtakingly beautiful and obvious sleepwalking! Olaf strode around Elsa's legs, clearly worried about his owner.  
It was a good thing that her friend Fara sleepwalked too from time to time so Maren knew what she had to do.  
But before she could apply any of her advanced knowledge, Olaf miscalculated his next stride, making Elsa trip over him falling and on instinct, Maren shot forward, letting go of her staff and managing to catch Elsa and fall back on the bed, but wincing at the loud clacking sound her weapon made as it hit the ground!  
But the woman in her arms just slept on, breathing evenly as she snuggled closer, seemingly content where she was.  
 _'That was close!'_ Maren thought, letting out a deep sigh, relieved that she had not woken Elsa or worse – knocking her over her head with her staff! The one time she had accidentally bumped into Fara as they had a sleepover was not a fond memory Maren hoped to relieve with Elsa playing Fara's part.

„No Dry Banana Hippy Hat for me please.“ Elsa mumbled, and a soft laugh bubbled up in Maren's chest at the strange comment, while something very fluttery seemed eagerly wanting to take flight in her stomach.  
Gently she laid the taller woman down, covering her carefully with her blanket, before respectfully leaving her bed to Elsa for the rest of the night. Knowing that she would not be able to fall asleep again, Maren quickly grabbed some fresh work clothes, before she left the room, closing the door with a soft thud behind her. A car needed fixing after all!

Loud metallic clanking sounds woke Elsa. Her mind was still foggy from sleep, and her muscles heavy like she had run a very long time without stopping, but it was not unpleasant.  
The whole morning just felt strangely familiar, like she had been woken like this before already, and there was also the rattling on the slight lager window, the huge familiar shadow in front of it, Vakker, Elsa had no doubt. But a few things were also different this time. Olaf for once laid next to her, curled into a little ball, sleeping deeply, not even flinching at the sounds that came from outside.  
And most importantly she was not in the guest room Maren had so graciously lent her, but a different bedroom, one she had not seen before, and when Maren had not ten different bedrooms hidden in her relatively small house, this bed Elsa just had woken up in was Maren's!  
She shot up, franticly looking around, but she was alone when she was not counting Olaf and Vakker outside.

_'Ofcourse, I am alone! Maren is outside working but before that...did I...did we....'_

Elsa felt herself blush at the thought. It was not the fact that they might have done it again, even though she kind of doubted that Maren was the kind of woman, but last night was a parade of very embarrassing decisions on Elsa's part and she was afraid that she had been unpleasantly clingy.  
She had gotten drunk only a hand full of times, and all had been a terrible experience!

 _'I have to tell Anna to never mention her 19th birthday party to Maren!'_ Elsa thought as she got on her feet, stretching her tight muscles, missing the warm bed more than she would admit to anyone before she left the room and got ready for the day.

The shower had been refreshing and by the time Elsa had braided her hair and brushed her teeth the sounds of Maren working outside had died down, only the wind in the trees and the chickens clucking outside.  
And sure enough, as Elsa entered the kitchen she found Maren purring herself a cup of coffee, a second cup ready for Elsa to be used.

 _'What a splendid human being.'_ the blond thought but was not brave enough to step closer. Suddenly shy she remained standing in the door frame, wringing her hands together.  
But before Elsa could do one of her famous overthinking marathons Maren turned around, smiled, and looking like the sun had just risen in her homely kitchen.

„Elsa! Good morning, sorry I have not made breakfast yet but I thought we go to my parent's house for that. My father took your family there, after your little....adventure. How are you feeling by the way?“ she asked, her voice half teasing, and poured Elsa a coffee, leaning against the kitchen table and holding out the steaming cup for Elsa to take.  
The greeting had been so warm, so friendly, but Elsa, still feeling shy about her drunken escapade of the night before, remained where she was. Maren raised her eyebrows questioning as she saw that Elsa was not coming over.

„Is something wrong?“ Maren asked, eyes full of honest concern now, the slight clink of the cup as she put in on the table the only sound between them for a few moments before Elsa finally gave herself a little push, left her place under the frame, and leaned against the table too but in some distance from Maren. Thankfully she grabbed the cup, more to give her hands something to do than anything else, and took a sip from the coffee, feeling Maren's eyes on her.

„I am sorry.“ Elsa said and as Maren's eyebrows almost vanished behind her bangs, the blonde quickly continued: “For yesterday night. I hope I was not...you know, that I did not-“  
It was more difficult to say than Elsa thought, yet Maren seemed to understand what she meant and hurried to reassure her.

„Oh no, no, no it was nothing like that! You were a cute drunk actually.“

That was a surprise!

„I...was?“

„Yes, but fast! I did not know someone could run like this when having – How many glasses did you drink?“

„Ahm, two and a half. Anna stole the rest of my third one.“

The impressed look on the smaller woman's face was almost comical.

„You had nearly three glasses of The Stuff and you could run like this!!!??“

„I guess.“ Elsa shrugged with her shoulders, smiling slightly to herself as she took another sip of the coffee.  
„Gosh, this coffee is really good. How do you make it so tasty?“

„Oh no! Don't you dare to change the subject now!“ Maren said, raising a finger like she was scolding Elsa, but her eyes were smiling.

„It's simply impossible to run so fast that I was lucky I had a reindeer with me so I could catch up! Believe me, I am not slow, but I would have stood no chance. Please tell me you train something regularly or I might get complexes!“

That made Elsa laugh, loud and real, her previous shyness long forgotten.

„We can't have that can we?“ Elsa managed to say before breaking out into laughter again at the impatient look on Maren's face.

„Ok, I always liked to run, even when I was young. So I did track in high school and later, after school, I picked up parkour.“

Maren just stared at her, blinking once, twice.

„You are doing parkour?“

Was this disbelief in Maren's voice? Elsa almost felt offended and but one look and Elsa felt her cheeks get warm at the charged gleam in these brown eyes. Memories of a very pleasant night came to Elsa and suddenly it was very clear to her that they were alone, probably the last time for a while to come, with her family here and so much to catch up to....

„Aren't you full of surprises.“ the brunette said, pulling Elsa out of her thoughts, her voice smooth like her namesake.

„I'll try.“ Elsa answered, proud of herself that she did not sound as breathless as she felt as she met this burning gaze.

„I bet you do!“

**************

Was it just her or did Maren sounded kinda... affected? The mere thought made the same rush of confidence Elsa had felt in the estate come back to her, and the air between them changed, getting charged and heavy.

 _'What better time than now?'_ Elsa thought, grabbing purposefully the coffee out of Maren's hands, putting both mugs on the table, not only surprising the brunette with her boldness, as she pulled the smaller woman's sleave, so she was standing in front of her while Elsa herself still leaned against the table.  
 _'What is this woman doing to me?_ ' Elsa thought before taking the calloused hand of the other in her much softer one, and all doubts Elsa might have had flown out of the window as Maren closed the distance between them and kissed her, almost desperately, reigniting the fire that had been smoldering in Elsa's lower belly since the first time she saw Maren, the flames leaping higher now than ever.

It was surprising to Elsa how much she had missed kissing the other, even though their last one was not that long ago, like rain after a long drought and so the blond almost wined as Maren pulled back a little to speak.

„I should really scrub my hands again. They are still a little dirty from working at your car. I only made them clean enough to make coffee, not for...and maybe we should...“ the smaller woman said breathlessly, blushing a little because of her rambling, already stepping out of Elsa's grasp.

One step was all Elsa allowed Maren to do, before she pulled her back slowly at the collar of her shirt

„Then don't use your hands.“

To watch the reactions on the other's face was delicious. The way utter surprise turned into something primal was surely something Elsa could get used to as she allowed Maren to kiss her again, loving the thrill it gave her as the smaller woman moaned as teeth to bite her full bottom lip slightly.

It was the weirdest thing to be demanding, bold even, all so far from what Elsa knew from herself. When was the last time she felt that side of her when she did not take the last days spent in Northuldra into account?  
Yet it was like it always had been there, finally showing itself after years of not been lived out. But with Maren, it came so easy, like second nature, and even though Elsa felt not sure of much these days, she was very sure that she wanted to see how far she could take it with this woman.  
On more than one level.

But then Maren picked her up, just like that and Elsa really hoped now she would spend enough time with the other to get used to her insane strength.

It was fun, Elsa decided, to search the sweets spots that made Maren's steps falter, and she had discovered one or two new ones as she found the spot under left ear again, not knowing the effect it would have while Maren was standing on her feet. As soon Elsa touched said spot with her lips, Maren's legs gave out under her, and suddenly Elsa found herself falling fast, already bracing her self for an ugly impact on the floor but Maren caught herself quickly, and even though she could not stop them going down she was able to ease them both on the ground, without anyone of them splitting their skulls.

That was good enough for Elsa, who did not miss a beat. Suddenly very displeases with the pace of things, she carelessly opened Maren's shirt with such force that she heard one or two buttons landing somewhere on the ground, but neither of them cared, to bussy to get more hindering clothes from each other, until finally there was nothing between them, skin on skin and Elsa felt almost relieved that they were this close again, like her heart had feared this one time would remain the only time, but had she been foolish! Maren was so eager to please, so gentle that Elsa almost forgot how to breathe, full lips caressing her chest, her neck, kissing her in a way that drove her mad.  
But why was Maren not touching her? Why were her hand remaining infuriatingly far from any bit of skin? And why had she the feeling that Maren did that on purpose?

Elsa had no patience for that kind of game!

But before she voices her displeasure, Maren wandered downwards, now kissing her belly button before continuing her path, slowly, giving Elsa enough time to understand what she was had in mind and to voice any objection.

Yet Maren still stopped at her pubic bone, searching for her eyes, and as Elsa saw the same turmoil she felt reflected in these burning ambers she gave her silent answer before Maren could ask.

Almost roughly she grasped onto black hair and pushed her down, spreading her legs simultaneously.

 _'Then don't use your hands......must be the smartest thing I have said in a long while!'_ was the last coherent thought she had for before a hot tongue tasted her folds, narrowing her world down to the inferno insider her, the pleasantly cool wooden floor on her heated skin and the woman between her legs.

It had been a long time since anyone had tried to do that for her, and it had been not the most pleasant experience she ever had.  
But something told Elsa that it would be different here.  
And by the gods was she right!  
How could be one and the same action, done by a different person feel so, so different?  
Maybe it was because this time it was a way more skilled tongue that took care of her or the fact that it was a woman doing it or maybe the brunette was just better in reading her.  
Whatever it was, it made Elsa want to hold on as long as possible, closing her eyes as the beautiful sight of Maren working between her legs threatened to push her over the edge!  
But in the end, there was only so much she could take, and her climax, even so not as earth-shattering as the first Maren had given her, was endlessly euphoric, almost soft and way longer, such a lovely contrast to the iron grip Maren had on sides to keep her hips from bucking to hard. Simply perfect.

After finally coming down from her high, she felt light and pleasantly heavy at the same time. She had her left arm draped over her eyes and her heart was still beating fast against her ribcage as she had just run as fast as she could, but she was not the only one.  
Elsa could not see Maren but she felt her move from her position, now next to her, laying close, breathing heavily, and as a warm, calloused hand caressed Elsa's stomach and suddenly she felt a little shy.

*************

_'Should I apologize for being so bossy?'_

„Wow!“

Elsa lifted her arm to look at Maren, her cheeks getting warmer at the look of utter adoration on the other's face.

„Sorry for being so eloquent but – wow! I – Elsa! That was...Wow!!! Please tell me we do that again!“

„Again?“ she almost hit her forehead for sounding so happy and hopeful.

„Yes please!“ Maren said, before pulling Elsa closer, cuddling into her side, making Elsa laugh by being absolutely adorable.

„If you want.“Elsa said, allowing herself to enjoy the way Maren held her, loving how the other seemed to lean into her touch as she reached up to stroke the smaller woman's face.  
It was so easy with Maren, so simple.

„Yes, I really want to. But this time I also want to stand by my word and make you dinner first!“

„Oh, are already making me dinner? Not buying it for me? Want to make an impression?“ Elsa tried to tease, but the expression on Maren's face made it hard to speak.

„I think you are worth the effort.“

The way she said it, made Elsa smile, at thought coming to her.

„It feels like we are cheating a little.“

„Cheating?“

„By doing everything in the wrong order.“

Maren looked at her, probably not really understanding what she meant, but then it seemed to click.

„I think we are old enough to decide in which order we want things to happen, don't you think?"

Elsa met her gaze, mirrored the soft smile that was offered to her before nodding, the sharp contrast of her pale hand against the much darker skin of her lover strangely pleasing, as she drew the fine lines of one of Maren's many scars.

„I think you are right.....so, in honor of our untraditional approach to things let me bother you with a random question about your scars. How did you get them?“

It was meant to be charming but Elsa wanted also to know more about this woman, which made her do things she never thought she would even consider.

„Oh, you want the story from all of them? That could take a while, why not pick one to start with?“

„Any I want?“

Maren looked like she was thinking deeply, and Elsa's gaze was drawn to the one that looked like a shot wound.

„Maybe skip that one for now.“ Maren said gently, before standing up, offering Elsa a hand.

„Pick another and I tell you all about it while we get ready? Deal?“

„Deal.“ Elsa said, smiling as she took Maren's hand, getting up on her feet, thankfully accepting Maren's slightly torn shirt against the slight chill.

„Ok, which one?“ the smaller woman asked, turning slowly around so Elsa could have her pick of her vast collection.  
It was a view Elsa appreciated, especially as Maren turned her back to her, and she nearly had missed the thick one that went nearly all over her calf.

„How did you get that one?“

Elsa pointed at it and as Maren looked over her shoulder to see which one Elsa meant, a wide smile appeared on her face!

„Oh, you picked a good one! Come, I get a shirt that is still functioning and you get your story.“

Elsa's laugh was wonderful Maren decided. One of nature's masterpieces!  
The blonde was already freshened up and fully dressed again, sitting on the edge of the bathtub, and laughed freely, tears gleaming at the corner of her eyes. Maren was still fondling with her braid. Normally she was way faster in making herself presentable but, well, Elsa's laugh was really beautiful and distracting.....

„He..he did not!?“ she managed to choke out, waiting for Maren's answer.

„He so did! He just let go even though he knew how to step it would go down. I still am convinced he just wanted to get rid of me so he could get my share of desert for the rest of his life.“

Another fit of giggles rendered the blond speechless and Maren messed her braid up yet again.

_'Come Natura, concentrate! Don't make a fool out of yourself. Left, right, left....'_

The story of how her brother had pushed her down a very steep hill on a bicycle, they foolishly had stolen a Dam - offical that lived in the neighborhood, was a true classic, and Maren had told it many times before.  
It was always good for a laugh and a few 'awws' as long her mother or Yelena were not around. If this was the case, she was always in for a stern lecture that this stunt could have caused great pain for many.

_'What were you thinking, Honeymaren! You know what would have happened if they caught you! Do you think you would be the only one that would have been punished? I am so disappointed in you! You are supposed to set an example for everyone'_

She still could hear Yelena screaming at her, and it might have been a little unfair and harsh, especially since Maren had been barely 13 and had not done it alone. It had not even been her idea, to begin with, but given the circumstances, her leader had been right.  
It was pure luck that the Bicycle had remained unharmed and that Yelena managed to return it in time before the owner noticed anything.

But she always left this unpleasant stuff out when she retold her story, focusing only on the fun parts of it. Like the way Ryder had ripped his pants in the fence as they had climbed over it in the middle of the night, or how they got friends with the Dam official's dog, who was growling at first ready to attack, but luckily Maren had thought ahead and brought some dried meat for the dog to chew on and Ryder always had been good with animals, and soon the creature was gentle like a lamb, wagging his tail while they had gotten the bicycle and whined pitifully as they had left with it.

„So, your....your brother pushed you over the hill, let go, and then you fell and hurt your leg?“ she really tried to keep in her laughter, but she would not succeed in that for very long.

„Not quite. I actually almost made it.“

Elsa tilted her head slightly, listening closely. Such an endearing thing to do.

„I was nearly on even ground again and I might have been able to get the bike under control again but then, right on my path, a lizard appeared.“

„A lizard?“ Elsa asked, surprised by this turn of events.

„Yeah, funny-looking guy. Was somewhat purplish, bluish with a little red too.“

Elsa snorted but managed to keep in her laughter: “What kind of lizard is this supposed to be?“

„I have not the slightest clue! I never saw any of his kind again but what can I say – even though I came right towards it with highspeed the little guy just looked at me, licked his eyeball and remained where he was.“

„And you did?“

„The only responsible thing – I changed the direction like a true master and made freaking summersault, just without the smooth landing.“

„So let me get this straight – you stole a bicycle from a dangerous man, even though you did not know how to drive it, and then you managed to nearly break your neck because you did not want to drive over a purplish, bluish lizard that liked his eyeball?“

„Hey, the way you say it makes it sound like it was a dumb idea!“ Maren said, giving her voice an offended tone and Elsa laughed again.  
Good thing that Maren was finally finished with her braid.

„Oh, you were not exaggerating! This story is amazing.“

„Told you that you picked a good one! Maybe even the best. I am not sure how I can top that.“

„I am sure you can.“ Elsa said, blue eyes boring into her and it was hard to keep the conversation going.

„I give my best. But now it's your turn. Tell me something about yourself I don't know yet. What is a dry banana hippy hat?“Maren asked, and suddenly Elsa's looked like a deer in headlights, the pure shock on her face almost comical.

"Where did you heard about that?"

Now Maren was really intrigued! What could make the other so nervous all of the sudden?

"You were mumbling it while sleepwalking."

"Oh....Oh.....I well, it was a birthday party.....not mine...and..ah....."

Maren almost laughed. The way Elsa wrung her hands together, the deep blush on her cheeks, the lip biting and stumbling to even get one word out of her mouth - all told Maren that she had stumbled upon a goldmine. Yet she did not want to push the tall blond too much. She was not that cruel....well, maybe with Ryder.

A loud rumbling interrupted her, and as Maren realized that this loud growl must have come from Elsa's stomach, she took the opportunity to change the subject!

„Oh, I am so sorry! We really should get you to some breakfast. We leave the cart. When you can ride Vakker drunk you can ride her sobber.“

There it was again, the laugh Maren really started to like, love even when she was being honest with herself.

_'Oh shit, has she a slight overbite? Can she be even cuter yet hot as sin? I am so screwed.'_

As they stepped outside, Olaf shoots between their legs, out into a cool and sunny morning. Vakker was already waiting outside, happily greeting Elsa and as she mounted the reindeer it already looked like she had learned it as a kid. Olaf showed no fear before the big, black beast, Maren must give him that. He elegantly jumped onto Vakkers back and Elsa held him with one arm so he did not fall.  
A whistle was enough and Juusto came, elegantly, clearly showing off for Elsa and Maren rolled her eyes, even though she could sympathize. Easly she mounted her reindeer and just wanted to get going as Elsa's voice stopped her.

„Maren!“

„Yes?“

„I...ah....how can I say it...I am not....to my parents....I...“

Elsa stumbled terribly over her words, not the first time that day and Maren felt the sudden urge to hug her, hold her close, to make her feel better, even though she had no clue what she was talking about.

 _'She is not what to her parents?.....OHHHHH!_ '

„You are not out to your parents?“

„Yes! Not out to anyone really.“ Elsa said, clearly thankful Maren had guessed what she meant.

Maren had thought something like that. It kinda had felt like Elsa had little experience with women or little experience in general, but by the spirits was she a fast learner!

_'Nattura, focus! The woman needs your support right now so keep it in your pants.'_

„Don't worry. They will not hear a peep from me.“ she said, meaning it with all she had.

Elsa's worried blue eyes got calm again, this wonderful smile back on her lips and spirits was Maren thankful for the blond's decision to leave her hair open.

„Thank you.“

„No Problem at all.“

But then the smile faltered slightly, was now more...apologetic then thankful?

„But my sister knows so I apologize in advance.“ Elsa said, and Vakker attentive as always, just got going without a signal, feeling the need of her rider to move.

'What?'

Juusto was looking up at her, his smug, knowing expression on his face and Maren could have sworn that he wiggled his eyebrows at her.

Gelwa Gattar had not slept all night.

She had waited for Vana to come back.

Gelwa was not sure if she really could trust Vana yet but all was better than this terrible house and the vile woman that had made her work so hard her hands would bleed and her back hurt. And then this man with the fake smile that never reached his eyes.....he never talked or even looked directly at her and Gelwa had the feeling that this was a good thing.

Gelwa shuddered and pulled the blanket Vana had given her closer around her shoulders.

She never wanted to go back there, ever!

She just wanted to go home.

To her family.

The door of the cheap hotel room opened, and Gelwa drew in her breath sharply, her eyes glued to the door. But it was only Vana.

„Change of plan kiddo! Come, let's move.“

Gelwa would have liked an explanation, but Vana never gave one.

Yet trusting Vana's leadership had worked out so far and so she followed Vana outside, into the early morning.

Gelwa just hoped that she would get home soon, just like she had been promised.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You made it through!


	16. Pancakes again?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> So many talks, and so many pancakes!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Woot woot, first update this year! Let many more follow, I say. Next, I will try to update Home, and then I might finish my Black Painting one. I will see what hits me next. Have fun guys :-)

This must be one of the weirdest situation Maren had ever been in and by the high standards, her colorful life had set so far that was saying something. Not many could say from themselves that they had fought in a civil war against violent oppressors, raised to become the next-in-line for leadership and not only survive said civil war but win it, and all that before she turned 25 after all.  
But here she was, sitting next to the woman that had had her falling head over heels in the span of a few days, painfully aware of all her movements, mesmerized by the freaking way she purred herself coffee (' _WHAT THE FUCK NATTUARA!!!??!'_ ), while trying desperately to let nothing of her inner turmoil slip to the surface, keeping her feelings hidden under the best pokerface she had to offer.  
And why all that?  
Maren's destiny, her guardian spirit, or just the weirdest chains of coincidences had made it so that she sat at her parent's dinner table, eating a very late breakfast, surrounded by her own family minus Ryder AND that family of said woman!! Mother, father, sister, even the freaking family cat was here and all were none the wiser that Elsa was gay as a rainbow and had truly mindblowing sex with Maren.....two times.....the second time barley an hour ago.....  
Maren had suddenly trouble swallowing her Gáhkko, the soft flatbread not moving an inch in her dry throat and she had to take a sip of her coffee.

_'Ok Nattura, relax! All is fine, they don't know a thing. Just act normal and all will be ok.'_

“My sweet, is everything alright? You have barely eaten and you look so tired.” her mother asked, looking at her curiously and slightly worried.

“Thanks, I already ate this morning.'”

Maren's mind went haywire in a millisecond as she literally bites her tongue as the highly inappropriate sentence escaped her lips. Well, Highly inappropriate when seen in context! Panicked fragments of coherent thoughts flashing in her head while she tried to find a way to get out of this one. Painfully aware of how Elsa stiffened next to her and...oh no! Where her shoulders shaking? Was she crying?

_'YOU DUMB FUCK!!! Nattura!!!!!! SHIT!!!! Watch your damn mouth!!'_

But how could she apologize to Elsa now, while everyone was listening? So much for remaining respectful and -

“But didn't you say that you wanted to wait with breakfast till you come here? Elsa, darling did you ate something too already? Please don't feel forced to eat again with us! Or -” Maren flinched at the stern gaze of her mother, who had turned sharply on her:”- did you make no breakfast for your guest? Did you only stuff your face again? Sorry Elsa, she can be greedy in that way sometimes.”

_'I...Fuck!!'_

Maren did not know if she should laugh or just roll into herself, slowly dying of embarrassment as she desperately tried to act normal. Elsa's shoulders next to her shook even more.

_'Quick, every second you say nothing makes you more suspicious!'_

With great effort, Maren opened her mouth to give an answer but to her surprise, Anna, Elsa's younger sister, added herself to the conversation.

“Oh, I bet Maren did not let my sister go hungry,” Anna said, her voice all casual, not betraying anything, but then she looked up, her eyes remaining on Maren for a second, and the young soon-to-be chieftess was reminded what Elsa had told her as they had headed out.

_'But my sister knows so I apologize in advance.'_

Maren swallowed thickly, but Anna's knowing gaze passed over her, and as it fell on Elsa the slightest smile was on her lips as she asked sweetly:"Right Elsa?“

Maren almost fainted, her carefully practiced pokerface was threatening to fail her as she fought down a deep blush, hyper-aware that her mother was looking from her to Anna and then to Elsa.  
Yet her mind offered her only a loud and clear-

_'FUCK!!'_

Nothing really helpful to say the least!

She allowed herself a short look at Elsa, only now realizing that she had not been frozen in fear or even crying, far from it!! This woman, this wonderful woman had tried to smother her laugh, taking this unbelievable awkward situation Maren had put them in, with good humor, eyes gleaming, and cheeks slightly red from mirth.

_'Hot!'_

„Ofcourse.“ Elsa said simply, giving her sister a slightly scolding look while still smiling a little, her blue eyes that had been warm and inviting oceans for Maren, had now a faint warning in them, a sharpness that made Maren sure she was witnessing only a shadow of yet another side of Elsa, that she, if the blonde would let her, had yet had to discover.

_'HOT!HOT!'_

Then Elsa turned to Maren's mothers, smiling kindly, all sweet and friendly the slight mischievous glint in her eyes clearly visible from where Maren was sitting.

„I assure you, Maren has taken good care of me.“

Maren's heart dropped right into her stomach at the cheek of this devil!

_'Does she want to kill me?? Oh why do I want her to continue.'_

„Oh, I am sure she did.“ Anna mumbled and Elsa shoots Anna a death glare, a clear warning that playtime was over now, making Maren feel a weird mix of thankfulness and arousal.

_'Why do I want Elsa to look at me that way?HOT!HOT!HOT!'_

Luckily it seemed like her mother, and everyone else at the table for that matter had not noticed anything of the silent conversation the two sisters just had.

„Well, I am glad to hear that I managed to teach her at least some manners.“ Skjolda said, answering Elsa's smile with one of her own, while fondly ruffling her daughter's hair, before refilling Maren's and her own mug with two leipäjuusto pieces each and purring hot coffee over them.  
Anna, who had not left Maren out of her eyes, discreetly probing her was distracted for a moment by this, for her, foreign way to drink coffee, observing how Skjolda spooned a little cheese out of the mug into her mouth, clearly savoring the taste and as she saw how Anna watched her she smiled kindly.

„Want to try?“

„Yes please!“

Maren may think it impossible but the smile of her mother grew even wider, as she quickly had Anna set up with coffee and cheese, explaining while she worked.

„It's called Kaffeeost. A huge favorite all around Northuldra.“

„Oh, I know. Mom was telling us all about it. I wonder why?“ the redhead said, no judgment only good-natured teasing in her voice as she turned to look at her mother, yet Mrs. Arendelle smiled somewhat sadly, suddenly a forlorn tint to her eyes.

„I wanted to get you familiar with this....our culture as much as possible...soften the blow....even though I should have just spit it out-“

„Mom, no! I....I did not mean it that way. I understand why. Or at least I am beginning to understand. It's fine.“

„It will be.“ Mrs. Arendelle said, her eyes gleaming wetly as she gently stroked her daughter's cheek before thankfully accepting the handkerchief her husband offered her, whipping her eyes.  
A moment of silence followed, only interrupted by the spoons that stirred in cups, giving Maren a moment to look at them all. The young woman could not help herself but be impressed by the way the whole Arendelle Family seemed to handle this more than unusual circumstances was very impressive in Maren's eyes.  
From Agnarr who seemed an endless source of support for his family, especially his wife trying to be understanding and helpful, and it was very endearing how Iduna offered the same support for him. To have such a falling out with one's father was not an easy thing.  
And Anna? Spirits that woman had some energy! Maren and Elsa had caught her outside on the phone as they arrived, 'managing the damage' as she had put it as Elesa had asked who she had talked to.

 _'Elsa...Spirits, all this must be even crazier for her!'_ Maren thought as she considered the wild ride Elsa had just lived through in the past few days. Discovering her heritage, realizing that her mother had lied to her own family, all to protect them, while slowly starting to grasp what had been taken from them without their knowledge, Grandparents, cousins, possible aunts, and unkles, for who knows how many children Iduna's parents might have chosen to have if things had been different....  
All that was already a big pill to swallow, but topped off with her own, very personal revelation about an important part of herself must have its own challenges. Exspacelly considering the conservative way same-sex relationships were treated in Arendelle.......Maren could imagine how that felt.

Being queer had never been a problem here in Northuldra, even as Yelena had been young. Heck even as Yelena's great-grandmother had been young for that matter, so Maren had never felt a need to hide, felt different or judged, looked down upon for something she could change just as much as she could the color of her eyes.  
Being a woman that loved women was simply one of many possibilities.  
End of story.  
Yet, despite all that, Elsa managed to stay friendly and open as she listened and learned, trying to find her place in this new world, life had just pushed her in, trying her best.  
And that was more than anyone could ask of her.  
Right then and there she swore to help Elsa and her family in whatever way she could.  
And even Anna's next words did not change Maren's decision.

„Did you make Elsa a good, strong pot of Kaffeeost this morning, Maren?“

This time the brunette could do nothing against the slight blush on her cheeks. Thank the spirits for her tan skin.

„Pancakes.“ Elsa made up on the fly, her smile only faltering a bit: “And really good ones.“

Maren nearly choked on her coffee.  
 _'Oh boy, and here I was thinking playtime was over!'_ she thought while coughing. Elsa's shoulders next to her shook again.

„Pancakes? Oh I loved those.“ Mrs. Arendelle said, a soft expression on her face.

 _'Spirits have mercy!'_ Maren thought as Elsa slapped her back slightly, smiling apoplectic to her.

„What?“ Mr. Arendelle said, clearly surprised at this revelation:“ But you always said there were not your thing.“

Mrs. Arendelle looked gave her husband an apologetic look: “Well, I do not like them. The arendellian kind that is. The northuldran ones on the other hand....“

For someone who had just talked about pancakes, Mr. Arendelle looked very solemn at his wife.  
But then Maren could see how his whole posture change with new resolve, as he had obviously had made a decision.

„Maren, could I have the recipe for these pancakes? Or better do you mind showing me right now how there done? My wife has some catching up to do.“ he said, his chair screeching as he stood.

_'We are so not talking about pancakes anymore.'_

„I still remember how they are done. I'll show you.“ Mrs.Arendelle said, standing as well: „Jo, could we use your kitchen for a while?“

Even as her mother stood up as well, an understanding smile on her face, muttering something about 'throwing Fiskar out first' and 'showing them where everything is', Maren needed a moment to grasp who Mrs.Arendelle meant by 'Jo', for she never had heard this particular nickname used for her mother, not even by her father.

It distracted her so much that she did not realize that she was alone with Elsa, and more importantly in this situation, a wolfishly grinning Anna.  
The gleam in the eyes of the youngest Arendelle was unsettling, to say the least.

Maren feared the worst, but Elsa came to her rescue again.

„Anna, outside.Now.“ she said, her tone commanding and, again, Maren felt strangely aware of how hot she sounded right now.

„But I want to talk some more too Maren here.“

„Now!“

„Ok, Ok.“ Ana said, not the least impressed by her sister, and off they were, a click of the main door told Maren that she was alone for now.

Well almost.

„Meow!“ Olaf's friendly greeting reached her ears and Maren jumped a little in her chair.

Yet as she turned she saw that he was sitting in some distance to her, on the chair Mr.Arendelle had occupied before he left to make pancakes with his wife.  
The old tom still wore his collar with the bowtie, looking over the table, purring happily.  
Maren kept her eyes on the cat, watching him suspiciously, while the old tom was blinking up at her.  
„Alone with you again, mmh?“ Maren mumbled to herself, purring herself another coffee.

Iduna gave Skjolda a thankful smile, as her childhood friend slipped out of the kitchen after showing them where the ingredients and kitchenware could be found, even though Iduna doubted they would really need them, closing the door behind her with a soft click.  
Now alone, Iduna turned to her husband, studying his face, very aware of the fact that this would not be the only talk like this.  
So many words lay ahead of her, so many conversations with the people she loved until she even had begun to bridge the gap that years full of secrets and half-truths suddenly dragged into the open had caused.  
Iduna took a deep breath, desperately hoping she would find the right words to explain why she had done what she had done but just as she opened her mouth her husband resolutely picked one of the aprons hanging at the mint green door on small hooks that had been fastened there, passing her a blue one while he took a yellow one.

„Ok, what do I need to do?“

„What?“ Iduna was confused.

„The pancakes.“

„You really want to make pancakes?“

Iduna had been ready for many things, a long talk, a fight even, but not that. But Agnarr looked determent, and so she yielded, years of experience with this man hat taught her well, and there was no arguing with him when he had that determent streak around his jaw, that both of their daughters had inherited.

„Yes.“ he said, his eyes begging her to go along.

_'How could I say no.'_

„Ok.“ she agreed quietly, not shying away from his gaze. A moment passed and another, while Agnarr searched for something in her eyes. If had found it or not Iduna could not tell, but he gave a small nod, before grabbing the bowl closes to him.

They were a well-oiled machine, and Iduna realized that working efficiently towards a common goal, was reassuring, calming even when it where just pancakes they were aiming for.  
Soon the first pancake was sizzling in the pan, then the second, and still Agnarr had not said a word.  
His expression, as they worked was something else and for once Iduna could not place it, his true emotions hidden from her, and just as she wanted to ask what was wrong exactly, he took a deep breath, speaking softly:“ I am sorry.“

„What?“

He turned to her, his eyes suspiciously wet as he continued: “I am sorry for not getting it sooner, for not asking more questions, for not being a better husband.“

Iduna looked at him, confused beyond belief.

„Sweety, why in the world are you apologizing to me?“

„I should have known.“ he said resolutely.

„You should have known that I am a Northuldran refugee, hiding under a false last name so the crazy killers of Dam do not find me? “

Agnarr seemed confused as he was trying to get what she meant.

„Yes?“ he offered carefully.

„Sweety, how? That is a very specific thing to guess. Even when I am not lying to you! You did nothing wrong. Quite the opposite really.“

„But because of me, you had to give up so much you loved.“

„What gave you that idea? It was my decision to not talk about my past. And I may - “

„But I did not make you feel safe enough so you would share your secret with me. I failed you.“

„You did not fail me, Agnarr. And let me finish – I may have given up many things I loved but I got you.“ here she stopped, reached for his cheek, happy that he allowed her to stroke it before she continued: “You were always there for me, got my back and you gave me Elsa and Anna. What more could I ask from you? “

He covered her hand, which still held his cheek with her own, capturing her other hand with his free one, leading it to his lips and kissing it softly. Iduna felt the lump in her throat growing, so she hurried to speak her piece.

„And to make it clear - Dam was dangerous, one wrong step and I would have gotten us all killed. You, Elsa, Anna.....they would have not hesitated. That's why I said nothing, not because you are a bad husband who did not make me feel safe enough. You kept me sane the past 32 years.“

She reached up, kissed him lightly on the lips, happy about the tender way he responded to her touch before something else caught her attention.

„And you really should turn that pancake.“

The look of shock on his face made her laugh, even as a few tears ran down her face. Quickly and skillfully he turned the pancake, wincing at the unpleasantly dark color of the delicious treat.

„Give this one Anna. The girl is a bottomless pit, she will not even notice.“ Iduna said, half joking half speaking of experience, making Agnarr laugh, loud and happy.  
How she loved that sound. How she loved that man, never would she be able to put into words how much, no matter if she spends the other half of her life trying to.

She smiled as he offered a piece of the pancake that already had been finished to taste the fruits of their efforts. Like every first it's supposedly round from was slightly crooked, ut this did not diminish the taste in the slightest.  
It was delicious, making Iduna let out a long happy sigh at the taste, while Agnarr's eyes grew big with youthful joy.

„Oh wow! There are good!“

„The secret is in the eggs.“ Iduna repeated the rule her own father had taught her along with the recipe, and she felt a bittersweet sting in her heart at the memory, the lump in her throat was almost too big to speak now.

Aganarr frowned a little as he spoke:“ But we did not use any eggs.“

She smiled at her husband, her small laugh pretty strained from emotions for he had used the exact same wording as she had done, so long ago, asking the same question her chuckling father.

„Exactly.“ She said, using the same word as Keval, her beloved father had and it was like an echo into the past that shook her to the bone, made her feel elated and devastated at the same time.

She decided then and there that her daughters would learn the recipe as soon as possible, but for now, it was a blessing to share a small part of her long-hidden past with the man she loved, who had given her everything and more

As Elsa stepped outside she took a deep breath on the porch she loved the slight chill that was already in the air, before turning around to her sister.

„You are having the time of your life aren't you?“ Elsa said teasingly, all her mock sternness gone, and as the blond turned to look at Anna, her younger sister looked sheepishly at her.

„You bet. Your.....fling......friend...... girlfriend?“

The last of Anna's suggestions repeated in Elsa's mind, over and over again, like hundreds of different Elsa's were trying out the word for the first time:

_Girl..friend, girLFRIend GirlfriEND GirLfriend_

_Girlfriend, Girfriend Girfriend Girlfriend Girlfriend_

_girlfriend girlFRIEND, GIRLfriend girlfriend GirLfRiEnD_

_girl- GIRLfriend, girlfriend -frien_

_**GIRLFRIEND!!?!?!  
** _

_GAAAAAAAAAAAAAAYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY Comitment PAAAANNNNNNNNNIIIIIIIICCCC!“_

_Too much, too fast! Was it? Yes! What does Maren think about that.....wait! Wait, she already told you. She likes you and wants to get to know you better. Relax, no reason to flip. Breath and then say -'_

„Let's call her Maren for now.“

_'Well done!'_

„Sure! She has a good poker face though, but I just can tell she was sitting on hot coals in there.“ Anna said, grinning wildly at her sister.

„Sooooo, had pancakes for breakfast, mmh?“

Elsa blushed lightly, but rolled her eyes, reaching with her index finger to poke her and as always Anna jerked back, protected her sides with her arms, the offended expression on her face looked so comical that Elsa nearly snort laughed.

„If I had pancakes that morning or not is entirely up to me.“ the blond said, half-joking, half dead serious, allowing herself to smile slightly as Anna raised both hands in a placatory gesture.

„Sure thing! I was just having a little fun.“

„Please, try to have not too much. I would really like Maren around longer to -“

„Have pancakes with?“

„Anna!“

„Ok, Ok! I stop the teasing, cross my heart and all that......“ there was a short pause and then Anna mumbled something under her breath that sounded much like:„.... _when you are around_...“

„What was that?“

„Nothing!“ her sister hurried to say, using her best, most innocent looking pout on her and Elsa felt her resolve begin to crumble already, dropping the subject for now.

There was something else she wanted to ask anyway.

„How are you really doing though?“

There was only genuine confusion on her sister's face as she spoke: “What do you mean?“

„Well, our own grandfather fired you and because we all know how forgiving and understanding he is, is probably using his very considerable influence right at this moment to make it almost impossible for you to find new work in Arendelle ever again, practically exiling you. Between finding out that mother had been lying our whole life and me dropping the rainbow bomb on you I thought.....I don't know.... that you feel more.....in need of......“

„Pancakes?“

„I trying to be serious here.“

„Me too! Maren has a brother right?“

At that Elsa did snort laugh, her sister truly was something else.

„Yes, she has but his fiancee will not be very pleased with you if you try to steal Ryder from him.“

„Ah damn it! He too? I hope not all are men are gay here. I really could use some nice company -“

„Anna.“ Elsa interrupted gently.

„What?“

„Stop avoiding the question.“

Elsa looked at her sister, and Anna held the gaze for a moment before burying her face into Elsa's shoulder with a deep sigh.  
Automatically Elsa hugged her close. It was such a familiar thing to do, a gesture just as normal as breathing to both sisters, and Elsa was sure Anna felt the strong, steady, neverending stream of love flowing in her chest and just like that, right there on this wooden porch, in the middle of a deep forest Elsa felt at home.

„It's so much all at once and, let's not beat around the bush – your right and it looks really bad. We are all jobless and as you said Grandpops will salt the earth wherever he could and thanks to his position that's like all of Arendelle! He can't take the house of our parents but when they can not work there any longer what's the use of a house in Arendelle and we...well, we two beauties have to say by to our apartments soon if we don't earn money.....its a mess!“

 _'You can say that again!'_ Elsa thought but did not say anything, careful not to interrupt her sister.

„And now I am here, the land of My ancestors, where half of my family was brutally murdered.......did you know we had two granddads? That may have been actually the kind you wanted to have in your life? Cousins, a grandmom.....“

„Yes Maren's mother told me about them.“

„All gone.....wiped from the face of the earth!“

There was a sadness in Anna's eyes Elsa recognized. It was just heartbreaking to never meet them all, talk to them, so much lost thanks to cruel decisions and cold hearts carrying them out.

There was silence for a while and Elsa almost thought that her sister was finished and wanted to suggest going back inside. It was slightly chilly after all, but then:„ I am sad, angry and tired but also.....how can I say that? Relived!“

„Relived?“

„Yes! Work was just so suffocating lately. You know me, I love work, I love positive stress and being busy but...it was just the 'I-choke-to-death'- kind of stress and not the kind where you know that you get somewhere.  
I just have no clue what should come next.“ Anna ended her little speech, not moving from her position, allowing Elsa to hug her more.

„Well, that makes two of us.“ she said, smiling down at her little sister, and Anna laughed lightly before raising her head from her sister's shoulders.

„Good! Soooo, different question – when are you telling Mom and Dad you.......really like pancakes?“

Elsa laughed again, slightly forced at the thought of telling them. Anna, ofcourse, noticed that.

„You know that they will be fine with it right? They love you. I mean sure Dad is very old school but Mom has been raised by two dudes.“

Elsa could not help it, insecurity raised its ugly head again, as she wrongs her hands.

„You think?“

„Elsa, yes. If for whatever stupid reason they decide not to love you exactly the way you are, screw them. You always have me!“

What could she say to that, what words were strong enough to let her sister know what she felt at this moment?

„Thank you!“ Elsa spoke, hoping it was good enough, as she hugged her sister close again.

Then the loud roaring of a car engine ruined the sisterly moment, giving Elsa nearly a heart attack, before Ryders ridiculously huge truck stopped close to them, leaving ugly marks in the ground before the house.  
Looking like a driven maniac, that had slept like a week ago, came Ryder jumping out of the driver's seat, followed by a gentle smiling Issun, who looked like he was ready to sleep where stood, a very serious looking Yelena and a more than chipper Iloh.

„MAREN!!!!“ Ryder all bit bellowed, before rushing past the two Arendelle sisters.

„Elsa, good to see you again. Anna what a pleasure to meet you.“ Yelena greeted them somewhat shortly, following Ryder into the house, probably just as eager to talk to Maren.

„Elsa, so good to see you again!“ Iloh spoke in a very funny mockery of her mother, scrunching up her face in a way that actually let the young woman look like the stern chieftess as she greeted Elsa with a hug, before turning to Anna:“And Anna what a pleasure to meet you.“

The impression was so good that even Anna laughed before the strict voice of Yelena made all three jump.

„Iloh! Stop goofing around. And bring the folders!!“

With what Elsa could only describe as the embodiment of sassy eleganz Iloh rolled her eyes, made a very dramatic hair flip, and turned around to the huge monster truck, opening the door to the passenger's seat and turned around again, showing off a huge amount of folders in various colors.

„Here let me help!“ Elsa hurried to say, relieving Iloh of some of her burden, while Anna helped a stumbling Issun into the house.

„Oh thanks....ammmhhh Anna, right? I heard ab-“ here an enormous jawn interrupted the poor man, but even in this state of utter exhaustion, he remained his polite self:“ -out you. It's so nice to finally meet you.“

Anna obviously had to hold back a laugh, but her smile was genuine none the less.

„Thanks, it's really nice to meet you too, ahm..?“

„.....Issun!“ he said softly, half asleep, gladly accepting the help Anna provided as both took step by step to the main door of the house.

Elsa with Iloh by her side followed them, turning to her much smaller companion to ask:“What's going on?“

„Beats me.“ Iloh said, shrugging:“I was at my mother's, having coffee with her, free day an all but suddenly that crazy guy, that looked like Ryder came crashing in, demanding to talk with my mother in private and I was sent out of the room! Like In was five.“

Elsa raised an eyebrow at her, the time she had to spend with Iloh already enough to tell her what had happened next.

„Oh, I bet that worked out well for them.“

Iloh grinned cheekily at her, her mesmerizing eyes gleaming like green fire.

„For sure, I will not move from their sides until I know what is going on.“

Elsa chuckled lightly, as they entered the house again, joining this strange entourage at the dining table, placing the folders among the remnants of a late breakfast.  
It was a sight to behold and Elsa wished it would be appropriate to draw this strange gathering of people.

Yelena was whispering quietly with Maren, Ryder adding something from time to time, his eyes baggy from sleeplessness, but determent. Mare was listening closely to her leader, her arms crossed over her chest, something hard suddenly appearing in her eyes.  
Meanwhile, she could see Anna helping Issun laying on the couch, the poor guy passing out almost instantly. He was joined by Olaf, who happily curled up on his chest, contently tugging in for the day. The main door opened again and Mr. and Mrs. Nattura entered. Their clothes and the hay that was still left in Mr. Nattura's hair, told Elsa that they had probably took care of the reindeer's.  
Knowing that something was up, Mrs. Nattura looked at her leader, folding her arms over her chest as she took in the situation, telling Elsa exactly where Maren picked up that habit.

„Yelena, what is going on?“

Just as the old leader wanted to answer, Elsa's mother and father entered the living room, holding a huge plate of pancakes each, completing this weird picture as they stopped dead in their tracks at how many new faces had appeared in their absence.

If Yelena was surprised by all that she did not let it show, her voice even and calm as she took her time to answered.  
Or did it just feel slow to Elsa? Why was she so nervous?

„We have found a trail that might lead us to Gelwa Gatar.“

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And here his the end. I think there will be 21 chapters in total....we will see where it takes me. And there is still a very late holiday special that needs to be written. The idea is already there but it had not fit into the story so far. but it will come. Stay tuned.  
> Take care out there!


	17. Accidents And New Plans

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Will the gang find a trail that leads to Gelwa? Let's find out!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> New chapter! woot woot! So far I am still at 21 Chapters in total but there is still a chance that might change and boom we are at chapter thirty XD. Don't judge me. I just have too much fun.  
> Hope you too! Til next time.

„Gelwa? Who is this?“ Anna asked, looking at the serious face of Yelena and Elsa saw out of the corner of her eyes how her parents looked up as well, eager for an answer.  
As the old leader told the sad tale of the Gattars, Iduna turned pale, wringing her hands together in the same way her eldest daughter would do so often when strong emotions hit her. Elsa, who sat between her father and her sister could feel how their backs got all stiff and rigid, yet there was a determent gleam in their eyes that made it clear there were ready to help however they could.  
Elsa shared that sentiment even though was not really sure what she could do.  
Still a little out of her depth, she listens carefully as Yelena told them what Ryder and Issun, with a little help of good old luck had found out.  
It was not much, only that picture was recently taken in Corona, a direct neighbor country of Arendelle, showing the festival for the lost princess, a very old tradition that was celebrated across the land.  
But there was a downside to it.  
Ryder did not know in which town that picture had been taken. It had been sent to him without a name on the envelope, only date was scribbled on its back, hastily like the writer had little time to ad more.  
As Elsa, with her sister hanging over her shoulder, looked down at the picture, like Yelena had asked her to, in hopes any of the Arendelles might recognize something, she could not see anything that would pit point a more precise location. She recognized none any of the buildings nor found she anything that the people wore to be conected to a certain town she had been too. A helpless sigh that came from Anna told her sister fared the same way. As she passed the picture on to her father she could tell that he too had nothing to offer too, neither had her mother.  
But as Iloh, who had found her place at the head of the dinner table, a half-eaten pancake on her plate, tried to reach for it, Yelena snatched right of under her nose.

„Hey, I wanted to have look too!“

„You will smear it with your pancake fingers.“

„Mother! I have used a fork and a knife, ok. I am not five anymore, now let me see!“

„No, go wash your hands.“

„But-“

„Ok, then you don't see it I guess.“

Iloh looked like she wanted to say more, and Elsa could almost see how the wheels were turning in her head, as she thought about how much it would help her when she picked a fight with her mother now, until she came to the conclusion it was not worth it, rolled her eyes and went to wash her hands.  
Like nothing had, happened Yelena turned back to the others in the room.

„Got any ideas?“

It was a question directed to the whole room, but the way she looked at Maren made clear that she accepted the solution from her.

„I got nothing.“ Maren said, clearly unhappy with the answer she had to give, and sympathy rose in Elsa's chest. Ryder looked like he had bitten into a lemon and Yelena let her shoulders fall a little.

„Me either.“ the leader admitted, sounding defeated.

Iloh came back, shoving her clean hands close to her mother's face for inspection, making the woman laugh lightly at the behavior of her daughter, before pretending to look at them very closely, her face telling nothing of what she was thinking as she made Iloh turn her hands.

„You have way too much fun with this.“ Iloh said drily.

„Me? Fun? Never.“ Yelena answered just as drily before giving her daughter the picture, while Iloh made a great show of being all careful with it, causing all to laugh, and made Yelena smile fondly at her child before she looked back at Maren.

„Alright, let's start from the beginning. Let's look through all we have again and see if we have something that helps, and if not I swear to eh spirits, I ride to Corona personally and search under every stone!“ The tone of Yelena's voice left little room for doubt in Elsa, that the old woman spoke the truth.

„I think that will not be necessary.“ Iloh said flatly, looking almost shocked as she stared at the picture like she could not believe what she saw.

Yelena turned back to her child, blinking slightly confused:“ What do you mean, my dear?“

„I think I know someone who could help us with that!“

A stunned silence followed only interrupted by Issun's soft snores that sounded over from the nearby couch.

Gelwa loved the activity around her, At the main station of Arndelle there was always something new and exciting to see and for someone that mostly was used to reindeer pulled carts and sleds, it was a sight to behold. Yet she tried with all her might to look like she was used to all this, to blend in, not drawing attention to herself, like Vanna had said she should. Pulling her baseball cap deeper so her face was hidden better, taking another bite of the delicious....what was it called it again? Ah, yes Lefse, Vanna had bought her. The little potato pancake reminded her of the ones her father used to make at the weekends.  
The thought of her father, her family in general was dangerous territory, Gelwa knew. She already could feel her throat tighten and her eyes water.  
She may be young but she was not dumb. There was little room for guessing at what would await her when she returned home, yet she could not help but hope a little. Maybe some survived? Maybe they took her brother too and did not -  
She pushed the thought back with her all her might, rubbing her eyes, angry at herself.  
It was no use thinking about it now and getting distracted when she was so close to home!  
 _'Stay focused. Concentrate on the next step, then the one after, and then the one after that.'_ she thought, repeating the wise words Honeymaren had taught her once as she had been learning how to fight with the staff, shoving the rest of her Lefse into her mouth before she looked worriedly at the board that showed that the train that would bring them over the Northfuldan border was already 15 minutes late.

„Don't worry Kid. We are nearly there.“

Gelwa nodded, touched at how softly Vana was speaking to her, yet she could not help but ask:“ Are you sure we should not just call someone to pick us up?“

The tall girl had asked this multiple times, and Vanna let out a deep, almost agitated sigh.

„No kid, that would not work. Already forgotten the fiasco in Corona? They nearly had us there and all because I thought I could call an old friend. We can't trust anyone. Who knows who else is in cahoots with them. I only trust Yelena, but getting her number...well, I thought my old friend in Corona could help us there but I guess you know how this turned out.“

Gelwa frowned. Vanna was right, it had been so close, too close. They had barley gotten away

„How did they find us so quickly?“

„Sorry again Kiddo. That is my fault....they have the best guys set on my trail and by extension now on you too. You could not have picked anyone worse to play your hero....“

Gelwa looked at her old companion. With the silver hair, the frail-looking but still surprisingly strong body, not yet bend by age and the gruff yet friendly attitude, Vana was not really like the hero's in Gelwa's books. But the girl was still thankful for the help she had gotten, or she still would be in this strange big house. She felt cold as she remembered this house, where she had to work until she nearly had fallen asleep on her feet, always hungry and afraid because she did not know how long these people had use for her. One day, as Gelwa was sweeping the floor of an seemingly endless hallway, Vanna had come, two gigantic men left and right from her, making sure that she could not flee, all three nearly running them over, the sharp, blue eyes of the old woman scanning Gelwa for a second before they all turned to the right, leaving the small girl alone again, an even dirtier hallway her only company. She remembered that day so vividly, so clearly, for one particular reason. Later that night He came into the tube-like room where Gelwa slept since she had come here, barely big enough for her thin sleeping mattress, with Iron bars at the windows. He never told Gelwa who He was but that did not matter. She hated and feared that man more then anything else, his kind smile not changing anything for it never reached his eyes. He was looking down at her, his smile sweet, his eyes cold and hard like iron, his voice almost friendly as he spoke. Gelwa had felt the hairs on her neck stand up, the urge to run or hide strong, yet she remained calm.

"Come, you get new duties starting tomorrow. Take your things and follow me." he had said and Gelwa had hurried to obey, knowing that behind the false friendliness lay a cruelness that was deadly if one was not careful. She had grabbed what belonged to her, nearly nothing, only the mattress and another set of clothes she had to wash herself by hand and followed the man quietly.It was hard to keep up, his long legs making such wide strides the girl had to run a little to stay close, even though her legs where not that short to begin with. He suddenly stopped and Gelwa almost ran into him. He unlocked one of the many doors that where in this hallway and held it open for her, like gentlemen would do. Gelwa did not hesitate to do what she was asked, and immense relief filled her as the man closed the door again, his hollow smile vanishing behind it as he looked her inside. Slowly she had turned around, taking in the new room she was brought to. It was pure luxury, beautiful in a way Gelwa was not used to, the only flaw where the bars at the windows, making it clear to the girl that this was just another prison cell. No matter if it had comfy looking armchairs close to an open fireplace where a fire already burned brightly, almost happily sharing its light and warmth. And there, in one of the armchairs, Vanna had sat, using one of her long fingers as a bookmark, her blue eyes soft as she looked at her for a few quite moments.

"Well, well look at you! If you are not the picture of the little Northuldra girl! From the north?" the old woman asked, her voice slightly hoarse from age or maybe because she was not using it much just like Gelwa but there was something warm in it too. She replaced her finger with a real bookmark, put the book aside, and looked back at Gelwa, still waiting for an answer. The girl had her eyes focused on the other, taking in every move before nodding stiffly.

"HA! I knew it!" the woman said loudly, slapping one hand on her knee:"Its something about the jawline. Many strong and proud jawlines in the north, all defiant int the face of injustice! I am from the north too in case you did not noticed." she turned her head, showing of her very elegant neck and, of course, jawline, highlighting it even further with a hand gesture. It was half joke, half meant dead serious and Gelwa giggle slightly, before stopping herself, looking around like she expected punishment. If Vana had noticed, she did not show it.

"Your eyes as we messed up your hallway again. Priceless. If looks could kill no one could keep you, kid!" she laughed lightly and even though Gelwa did not wanted it to happen, her guard slowly lowered. She liked this loud, slightly boastful but friendly woman.

"But sadly, they can not. Sorry, he brought you here so late but I think you don't mind too much that you got somewhere warmer." she said, an honest smile on her face, reassuring Gelwa even more. The old woman looked her up down once before shaking her head, displeased at something she had seen but before Gelwa could feel bad the old woman spoke, her voice full of righteous furry not aimed at Gelwa.

"What have they been feeding you? A bread crust every two weeks? Here, you can eat while I tell you why you are here." the woman spoke, pointing to a huge plate full with all kinds of fruits, some Gelwa recognized and some she had never seen before, a big loaf of bread and was that? YES! Northuldran cheese! Gelwa let her mattress and clothes fall to the ground as she almost ran to the table, taking the whole cheese with both hands, already aiming to take a huge bite of Vanna had stopped sternly, her eyes smiling as she had chided her to eat slowly, cutting a small piece of the cheese for Gelwa. It tasted wonderful, like home and Gelwa almost started to cry. Vana was cutting the whole loaf of bread into generous slices as she told the chewing girl why she was here.

"Look at this wall and tell me what you see."

Gelwa obeyed, looking at the wall Vana had pointed at, turning her head slightly to the side, narrowing her eyes as if it would help to understand what she saw. There were many pictures of landscape that were clearly taken in Northuldra, and many texts in the old Northuldra handwriting too. The child could read not all of it but enough to understand that they were about the four spirits, Athollan itself, and of course, the fifth spirit, the bridge between humans and the magic of nature. But there was a map of her homeland too, some eras marked already and then it went click in Gelwa's head.

"Is he looking for Ahtohallan? Do you have to find it for him? Is that why he keeps you here?"

Vanna had looked impressed and pleased at the same time.

"Three out of three, kid. Not bad, not bad at all! And you are here to help me-" she spoke, gripping a piece of paper and pen close by, writing something down as she spoke further:"-bringing this whole stuff in order and because you can read Northuldra well enough you will help me slug through all books there are as well. The only way I could get this cold bastard to allow me some company. "

"But-" Gelwa began, absolutely surprised she had guessed right: "Ahtohallan is not real. It is just a legend."

With an elegant swing of her hands, Vanna finished her writing, passing it to Gelwa, telling her with a look to read it.

There, in a very pretty hand stood the following in Northuldra - ' _With some luck, I can get us both out of here. A plan is already in the making. Trust me."_

"Yes, but let's try to make the dream of our ..host come true, shall we?" Vanna had said, her mouth and eyes asking different questions. Gelwa had hesitated only for a moment before she nodded, afraid like she never was before, yet willing to try her luck. Vana had smiled slightly before slapping her forehead slightly, shaking her head like she was unhappy with herself, asking: "Look at me. All talk and no manners. What is your name, kid?" 

"Gelwa Gattar." the girl said almost shyly, nibbling on the little bred that was left. It was so long that anyone had even bothered to ask her name.

"Well Gelwa, it is a pleasure to meet you. My name is-"

Suddenly Gelwa was brought back to the here and now as her companion got all stiff, her eyes wide as she stared ahead, on the next platform. Gelwa followed Vana's stare, scared of what she might see, and there they were, the small, thin man, his black eyes burning in their deep sockets looking almost comical in his colorful shirt and short cargo. and the taller, stronger-looking one, his arms bulging under his white polo shirt. Hollow Eyes and Gorilla Arm had found them again.

Both were looking straight at them.  
Gelwa could only stare back, as time seemed to stand still for several seconds. And suddenly she was running, pulled along by Vana, who left the platform and dug into the hustle and bustle of the station.  
They nearly made it out to the street but suddenly a rough hand grabbed Gelwa's shoulder, pulling at her mercilessly. It was luck that Vana was quick enough to grab her with both hands. But even though Vana was still strong, Hollow Eyes who held onto Gelwa was stronger so the girl did the only thing she could.  
Leaning forward, she opened her mouth wide and bit down, deep into her captor's arm, tasting blood on her tongue, but not letting go until she heard a muffled scream and felt how the hand that held her in a vice grip, let go.  
Finally Gelwa and Vana were running again, as fast as they could, the two men hot on their heels. Where Gelwa and her companion tried to avoid people, the two men just shoved them roughly aside in their eagerness to catch their close prey.  
A mistake! Gelwa allowed herself a look back and saw that the angry by-passers that had been pushed, called loudly, causing people, who wanted to see what was going on, to stop walking all together and one of their victims, a really muscular young man, stopped Gorilla Arms, demanding in a still friendly tone of voice an explanation for this behavior. He was tall like an oak, easily leting Gorilla Arm look small, and suddenly Gelwa hopped that tall man was a mean, vicious one, that would punch Gorilla Arm and break his nose.   
Vana used the time they had gained, and pulled Gelwa further, out of the station over a big street. Immense relief filled Gelwa, as she saw that even the traffic lights were on their side.  
Green for them, red for the cars as Gelwa had learned.  
Just as they arrived at the other side of the street, Gelwa saw how Hollow Eyes came out of the station, spotting and rushing towards them, cold fear grabbing the child as he, with a mad gleam in his eyes, reached under his coat, Gelwa's bite mark gleaming angrily on his lower arm.  
The traffic lights switched from red to green as he was halfway over the street, and Vanna pressed Gelwa's face against her body so she could not see how an distracted driver hit Hollow Eyes.  
Under the loud screeching of breaks, car horns, and shocked screams, Gelwa allowed Vanna to lead her away, deeper into the streets of Arendelle.

„Now left.“ Iloh instructed Maren even though it was technical not needed. There was only one way to go anyway and as Maren made Vakker follow the new path, it felt to the young warrior like she was diving under an ocean of low hanging branches, thick green, and silence.  
It was darker here, in this tunnel-like path, that led them to whoever Iloh had said could help to find Gelwa.  
Maren really hoped that was the case. Ryder had looked so long for that girl and her great-grandfather was running out of time.

 _'What a tragedy it would be if these two would not see each other again.'_ Maren thought and it felt like she had something heavy in her stomach. And the sudden and unexpected, ice-cold fear grabbed her heart. Where was the girl? Where was she held? with whom was she with? All questions that could have more than unpleasant answers.

„You are sure your friend can help us?“

„Believe me, if someone can, it's her. She talked all evening about this stuff! How do you think I know that the 'guard' in Corona still wears their traditional armors to special occasions and that every town has a slight variation to them. Local pride and all. I bet she takes one look and boom we are on our way.“

The reassuring hand on Maren's shoulder and the soft tone Ilho used was sweet and appreciated. The daughter of Yelena was so willy and stubborn at times that Maren forgot that she had a good head on her shoulder and a kind heart that reached out to those in need.

„Thanks.“ Maren said, meaning it as she looked at the other, a thought coming to her that made her frown a little. Iloh did not miss that, her own smile falling a little as she asked: “What?“

„Your friend...ah..is she one of your „friends“? Or is she just a friend?“

Iloh looked at her, her surprised expression turning into a slightly sheepish smile as she answered: “She is really just a friend. I am not dragging you into the den of one of my past adventures.“

The younger woman giggled lightly at Maren's immensely relieved sigh, before sobering up a little.

„But while we are at that subject. When you want to make small talk maybe skip the reason she came to live in Northuldra. She did not tell me specifics but I assume it was a rough break-up with the woman of her dreams where she was the one that was broken up with. Better not put salt into that wound.“

Maren raised both eyebrows in surprise.

„First – I would never ask people about their love life on the first meeting and second -what makes you so sure it was a woman that broke her heart?“  
„The weapons. No straight woman loves swords and morning stars this much.“ Iloh said like it was the most obvious thing in the world, making Maren laugh.

„There are women who like swords and are very straight.“

„Name me one!“

Maren opened her mouth to speak only to realize she fell short of an answer.  
„Ahm....“

„See!“

„Oh come one, just because I don't know one only means I should open up my circle of friends a bit more. I am gay and I don't like swords. I prefer my staff.“

„Sword, staff, still a weapon in my eyes.“ Iloh mumbled and Maren threw her a slightly unnerved look, which made the other woman raise her hands up in a defensive position, adding a 'just saying' for good measure.

A comfortable silence fell between the two women, giving Maren time to look at her surroundings. She knew this part of the forest well. As a young girl, she always had played her with her brother and her friends, Iloh being one of them, here, under these trees, hiding in the lush green, reenacting adventures that only children could think of.  
It had been a while since they had entered the almost overgrown path and Maren looked ahead the best she could, trying to see the outlines of a house or anything a person could live in, already opening her mouth to speak before realizing Iloh was watching her, looking slightly annoyed.

„What?“ Maren asked, a little caught off guard.

„I know the way, Maren. I can maneuver through the woods just fine.“

It took a moment for Maren to grasp what Iloh meant, but as the penny finally dropped, she hurried to say:“ I did not mean it like that! I have complete faith in you but we are really deep in the woods. Why would your friend choose to live this far from....anything really. Even for Northuldra standards, this is like the end of the world.“

„She really wants her peace, meeting people on her terms and not just bump into them by accident. Her words, not mine.“ Iloh added as Maren raised an eyebrow at her.

„Well, as long as she can help us. How did you 'bump' into her by the way?“ Maren wondered.  
How could Iloh, who was not known for doing long hikes into the woods, meet with someone that lived so secluded?

„At Shindig.“

„Did you just not say that she is not interested in meeting people?“

„No, I said she meets people on her own terms, not that she is hiding away all the time. She comes out to play occasionally.“ Iloh said, winking and looking at Maren in a very telling way.

„Great.“ Maren said dryly, not playing along: „Is there anything else I should know?“

Iloh, only encouraged by Maren's lack of reaction, put on a very serious face as she spoke: “Let me do the talking.“

And suddenly she looked and sounded just like one of the tough gunslingers or fearless detectives a much younger Maren and Ryder would watch fascinated on long, rainy Sundays with an even younger Iloh in tow, brought over by Yelena because she had to talk with Maren's parents about this and that and wanted to give the kids opportunity to spend time together.

Maren laughed, forgetting her worries for a moment as Vakker easily pulled the cart further along the small path, deeper into the woods.

Iduna's stomach felt heavy as she stood outside the house of her long-lost childhood friend, the beauty of the forest, totally lost on her as she listen to her boss.  
Prof. Dr. Grando Pebbie was a tiny old man. Stout and still fit for his age, he leads the hospital with a sharp mind, a good heart, and the manners of a gentleman.  
He had been a good boss, an even better teacher, and never had Iduna seen him loos his composure, he barely had raised his voice now that she thought about it, but now he seemed close to it.

„It's hard to understand. Why would Your father-in-law threaten to stop his donations for the hospital if I refuse to fire you? Maybe you can help me to understand, Dr.Arendelle. What is going on?“

The helplessness in his voice was hard for Iduna to take, and she decided that this man, who had helped countless times during her career, deserved the truth.  
So she told him the whole story.  
Prof. Dr. Grando Pabbie listen, not once interrupting her and Iduna was thankful for that.  
After she was finished, there was a long pause and for a moment she wondered if he was still on the line, then she heard him sigh deeply and she almost could see how he put off his reading glasses, throwing them somewhat carelessly on his desk, before leaning back into his chair, his hand on his forehead, Like he always did when taking in bad news.

„Iduna-“ he said quietly, making the woman perk up as he used her first name, something he never did bevor.“ Are you telling me I should fire you because Runeard Arnedelle is racist prick that can not bear a Northuldra has married into his family, so we get the money of said racist prick? “

Iduna almost laughed, never had she heard the polite Professor say a bad word about anyone!

„Basically yes.“ she said.

„I will not do that. I can't. I will-“

„If you don't, I will resign myself. He will not give up and get his way, in the end, the only thing I – we can do now is damage control. Do as he said, if you don't he will get rid of you and replace you with someone who will fire me gladly, while you loos your job too. He will not stop there. If any of the others will speak up as well....their jobs are in danger too. Please, don't do that just for me.“

There was another, even longer silence and Iduna almost could hear the wheels in the old man's head-turning.

„I will do as you wish even though I do not like it. Iduna, if you need anything, don't hesitate to ask.“

„Thank you.“ she said, not really planning on ever asking for that favor.

„Of course.“ his voice sounded slightly tight all of the sudden as he asked where he should send the paperwork and Iduna gave him the address of Skjolda's house

„Good luck, Iduna“ was his goodbye, and Iduna could not help but try to cheer him up a little.

„Good luck to **you**! You have to deal with a certain someone, not me.“

A laugh that sounded like the one from a much younger man, happy and earnest,made Iduna felt better, her stomach lighter than before.

„That is true. Goodby Iduna!“

„Goodbye and thank you. For everything.“

As she hung up, there was a weird mix of many emotions swirling in her chest – sadness, relief, happiness, fear, and anger.....all came crashing down on her like a wave.  
She had loved this job, had loved her colleagues, her boss, loved working with patients and doing the best she could to help. And now this was over. She would of course continue to work as a doctor but to have this kind of lovely and professional work environment was like winning the lottery.  
So she allowed herself to be angry at the injustice, sad at her loss, but to her great surprise, she found herself withstanding the force of it and was not swept away by the storm like she had been when Anna asked her out of the blue why she never told her the truth.  
And slowly all these raging emotions were calmed by one thought.  
She was not alone like she had been when she was a young girl, stranded in Arendelle. She had Agnarr, she had her children, she even had her childhood friends back.  
No, she was not alone and there was only one way to go – forward!  
With new resolution and a clear plan in mind, she stood, entering the house of the Nattura's, a smile stealing itself on her lips as she saw how Skjolda fussed over her daughters yet again, having pleasant conversation Agnarr, whom she seemed very fond of already.  
In the background, Fiskar was readjusting the blanket that Issun must have thrown to the ground as he turned on the couch. As he finished, Olaf, who had been politely waiting on top of the backrest, jumped back on Issun's Stomach, making himself comfortable and meowing a soft thank you to Fiskar, like a very happy customer to a good worker would do, before falling asleep as well.  
As the Iduna entered, Skjolda turned to her, looking worried as she asked: “Is everything alright?“

Iduna smiled at her friend, before replaying in a surprising even voice:“ It was my boss. Well, ex-boss I should say. I just got fired.“

Anna let out a deep sigh, looking like her last hope had died: “I really thought he would not listen to granddaddy.“

„I told him to do so. I would have dragged them all down with me. There is no point in that.“ Iduna said, smiling at the surprised faces of her daughters. Then she meet the gaze of her husband, and before she could say anything he nodded, encouraging to do what she needed to do. It was hard to remember a moment where she loved him more. Then she straightened her shoulders, ready for the next step.

„ I asked to send the papers to your address, Jo. I intend to stay for a few days. I hope that is alright?“

„Of course. Stay as long as you want.“

There was no hesitation in her friend's response like she had already thought as much and was just happy she could keep Iduna close for a while longer.

„Thank you. I have another favor to ask of you.“

„What do you need?“ Skjolda said, Fiskar finally coming over, stepping behind his wife, looking just as ready to help in whatever way he could.  
Speaking suddenly became hard for Iduna, her throat so dry that her voice broke a little: „I want to visit my family.“

**Author's Note:**

> You made it through! Thanks for reading and again, take care!


End file.
